Airship Assassin
by melcon
Summary: When Kaoru accepts a bodyguard position to escort the lady Tsubame to her wedding, their airship is boarded by The Black Avenger, an airship commanded by the fierce assassin Battousai whose glowing eyes never leave the kendo master.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This hopefully will be the start of a series of "steampunk samurai" fanfic stories that I will be churning out. It has swords! And steampunk! And maybe a zombie or two (nah, better save the zombies for another story)! And Kenshin! And Kaoru! Yippee! Read and review, please!**

Kaoru blinked as the intense sun beat down on her skin and the wind lashed her ponytail against her face. Underneath her feet, the deck of the airship _Lucky_ dipped and swayed in the stiff wind, its propellers humming in a endless drone of sound that Kaoru found mind-numbing. But these trifle inconveniences were but a small irritation, nothing in comparison to the excitement of her first airship voyage. Kaoru could hardly believe it: as the _sensei_ of a small, not-very-well-known dojo located in Hikone, she had nonetheless managed to attract the attention of the Ii clan's damiyo. Futaka Musashi had given Kaoru this important bodyguard assignment: to escort his daughter, the Lady Tsubame, on her way to join her future husband Maeda Yoshiyasu in the Ishikawa Prefecture.

Trying to contain her glee and show the _zanshin_ appropriate for the master of _Kamiya Kasshin_-ryu. Kaoru hastily pulled down the corners of her broad smile and tried to adopt an implacable face. She needed to look strong, confident, mature. This wasn't a pleasure trip – it was a bodyguard assignment and danger was in high supply on the air.

Scanning the skies, Kaoru's eyes narrowed. _Lucky_ was moving steadily through a low embankment of clouds, which she did not like: the visibility was poor, and there was no telling what dangers lurked in the puffy clouds. Dangers like the Battousai. Suppressing a shiver, Kaoru thought of what she had heard about the fearsome airship pirate, a fierce avenger and assassin whose ship, _The Black Revenge_, cut through the skies like a master blade, killing with swift, deadly accuracy. Not for profit but for power; the Battousai was a tool wielded by those questing for dominance, and his targets were political ones. Like Tsubame.

Kaoru turned her attention to the small, pale teenager at her side. Just fourteen years old and as delicate and frail as a doll, the lady Tsubame was nevertheless regal, every motion carefully trained and controlled. Her tiny shoulders seemed much too small to bear the burden she had been given: to strengthen the bonds between the Ii and Maeda clan by marrying aman she had never met before.

Kaoru sighed internally, remembering her own childhood: she had spent most of it training with the sword, but overall her life had been relatively free from restraint. Her father had been remarkably progressive in his ideas of how his daughter should behave, and Kaoru had been permitted freedom and opportunities denied to many young girls, no more so than the elegant creature at her side. Kaoru knew that practically since birth, Tsubame had been coached, disciplined, and drilled in an endless routine of court practices, graces, and social behaviors, all to fulfill her one mission in life: marry a powerful man and produce children. Kaoru's life had not been easy, not after losing her father at age sixteen and trying to keep his dojo alive since then, but compared to Tsubame, her path in life had been full of freedom.

Shaking herself from her morose thoughts, Kaoru forced cheerfulness in her voice and said brightly, "We won't be traveling a long time, my lady. Three days and we will be in the Ishikawa Prefecture." Although the danger from the air was great, traveling by land was also dangerous. Tsubame's father had decided that the safest route for his daughter was on board what appeared to be a common freighter. Nothing made it appear that the well-worn airship carried anything of significant value, much less a person of importance. _A good disguise_, Kaoru thought to herself, but was surprised when the thought _Or a cheap one_, popped into her mind. Kaoru had a fairly good suspicion that despite his precautions, Tsubame's father did not have that much interest in his daughter outside of her usefulness as a political tool. Tsubame was one of many daughters the damiyo had, and she was from one of his three concubines, therefore was not nearly as important as the children Musashi had sired on his wife. The damiyo may have put up the image of a doting father, but Kaoru nursed deep doubts about the level of his fatherly affection.

Tsubame was silent, peering out from under the shelter of the umbrella her maid held over her fair skin. Aside from five soldiers assigned to the ship and Kaoru, Tsubame had one maid to tend her needs and that was it for her entourage. All told, Kaoru thought that a daughter of the damiyo deserved better transport and attendance, but it was not her position to share that thought. Her job was to protect Tsubame, and she intended to do that.

The ship suddenly dipped downward at a rather steep angle. Tsubame staggered and leaned against Kaoru – Kaoru's training kept her upright but just barely. The captain, approaching Kaoru, bellowed, "Sorry about that, my lady. This fog is getting us all nervous. I want out of the clouds so we can better see what is around us. My lads were a bit eager to do so, and they took us down too fast."

Kaoru nodded, wondering if a lifetime of yelling at slacking sailors had permanently altered the man's vocal chords. He seemed incapable of speaking in normal tones and could not seem to communicate in anything but a bellow. Having said his piece, the captain turned and went back to yelling at sailors.

The ship soon righted itself and began riding lower, moving underneath the cloud cover. Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief that she could finally see more than ten feet around her. She took a brief panoramic view and saw that there was another airship off the portside. Stepping quickly, she moved towards the captain who already had it in his viewfinder.

He gave a grunt, "Doesn't look like anything we have to worry about." He passed the viewfinder to her. "That bird doesn't look like it should be aloft, let alone flying." Kaoru peered through the instrument at the other ship – it was indeed a poor-looking vessel: tattered sails flapping forlornly in the breeze, cracked propellers sputtering, broken spars and splintered wood. There were only a few sailors scuttling around on deck, and the entire vessel had a poorly-cared-for appearance.

The captain of the _Lucky_ pursed his lips and blew out worriedly. "Still, doesn't hurt to take precautions," he muttered before hurrying off to yell at more sailors. Trying not to show any alarm, Kaoru moved back to stand next to Tsubame's side and wait in watchfulness.

The _Lucky_ kept progressing forward, the pilot discreetly moving it away from the other ship without making it seem like he were in any hurry to doing so. The other ship lagged in space, drifting off in a seemingly random direction, but Kaoru kept her eyes fastened on it. They passed it within minutes with no altercation whatsoever. As _Lucky_ moved forward, briskly leaving the decrepit airship behind them, Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief, surprised to find that her thumb had been poised over her _tsuba_ the whole time, waiting to push it forward and free her blade from its _saya_.

But her relief was premature. Suddenly, without warning, the other ship wheeled sharply and honed in on the _Lucky_ with a stunning burst of speed. On board the _Lucky_, the sailors snapped to attention and began frantically doing twenty things at once while the captain increased his bellows tenfold and Tsubame's security guard burst up from the bowels of the ship, swords in hand and grim duty written on their faces.

Kaoru quickly turned to Tsubame, saying in the calmest voice she could muster, "We'd better return to your cabin, my lady," and firmly escorted the girl and her maid back to their room, her heart thudding with the heat of battle. Inside the cabin, Kaoru hurriedly snapped shut the locks. The door had been specially reinforced just for Tsubame and there were no windows – nothing marked it from the outside as anything other than a storage room, and Kaoru hoped fervently that if the pirates overcame the sailors and soldiers, they would overlook Tsubame's cabin.

For several agonizing minutes, Kaoru stood in front of the door, sword held at ready and Tsubame and her maid cowering in a corner of the room as the noise of battle and the screams of dying men seeped in from above. It was impossible to tell who was winning and what was happening, but Kaoru had her orders – stay at Tsubame's side and defend her with her life. She had every intention of doing so.

Suddenly, Kaoru heard the sound of heavy footsteps thundering down the gangplank into the belly of the ship. Choking back a tang of acid that rose to her throat, Kaoru held herself steady, calling up all her training to keep her calm and prepared. Strong hands hammered at doors, and there was the sound of shattering wood. Finally, the assailants found Tsubame's door and began their assault. It shook but held firm, and Kaoru hoped fervently it would withstand the attack. After a few minutes of violent noise, everything suddenly became very quiet. Kaoru gulped, wondering what was happened on the other side of the enforced door.

With a deafening bang, the door blew inward, shattering into pieces and filling the room with smoke. Through the looming reek of gunpowder, a man stepped forward. He was surprisingly short, but his glowering eyes and mane of flame-red hair unmistakably marked him as dangerous and powerful. He was gripping a bloody sword, and his cold eyes swept Kaoru.

"I have come only for the Lady Tsubame. Drop your sword, and I will not harm you," he said in a deadly calm voice.

"Never," Kaoru spat back. "You'll have to fight me first."

His eyes glittered, and Kaoru was surprised to find a flick of emotion buried in their cold depths. "I don't harm innocents, and I intend no harm to the Lady Tsubame. I am only capturing her. She will be safe."

"Like hell she will!" Kaoru yelled, "Over my dead body!" Mustering her courage, she threw herself into an attack.

The man was superhumanly quick, his blazing assault like trying to fend off lightening. Kaoru knew in a millisecond that she had absolutely no chance of even coming close to his skill and that she was a dead woman. Within a moment or two, a stunning blow knocked her across the room, smashing her against the side of the cabin.

Battousai, as Kaoru was sure he was, ignored her. He merely pointed at Tsubame and two pirates moved forward to seize the girl and escort her firmly out of the room, leaving the maid and Kaoru behind. As the pirates hurried out of the room, Kaoru was blearily surprised to see that the Battousai stopped and gave her one intense look before he too turned and left.

Ignoring the maid's screams, Kaoru fuzzily pulled herself to her feet. Her head ached and she was certain one rib was cracked, if not broken. "Tsubame..." she rasped out, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of her lungs. _I...I've got to...to get to her_..., she thought. The floor spun and waved under her feet as Kaoru forced herself forward, moving up the stairs, adrenaline helping push her onwards.

On deck was chaos. Slashed bodies lay everywhere, and the few remaining soldiers and sailors were frantically trying to revive their comrades who were not quite dead. Kaoru's eyes swept the blood-strewn deck and saw that Battousai and his pirates had already boarded their ship and were preparing to pull away. The pirates were cutting free the grappling hooks that attached their ship to the _Lucky, _and the _Black Avenger_'s propellers were droning loudly.

In the midst of the panic and noise, Kaoru heard one loud, terrified scream, "Kaoru!" pierce through the clamor of sound. Tsubame was barely visible, a tiny white dot leaning over the edge of the ship as a pirate tried to haul her back.

"Tsubame!" Kaoru screamed back. "I'm coming!" Adrenaline coursed in her, wiping away the pain and filling her with fresh energy. As she raced towards the side of the ship, the last mooring rope was cut and _The Black Revenge _swung loose. Kaoru didn't have time to think, only act. Hauling herself onto the balcony wrapped around the deck, Kaoru jumped, launching herself into thin air, hands reaching for the other ship.

She knew within a half second of jumping that she was too far away, that she was going to plunge to her death. Her grasping hands missed the side of _The Black Revenge_ and she began to fall, plummeting towards the ground hundreds of feet below.


	2. Chapter 2

Abject panic filled Kaoru as she felt her body halt in midair and began plunging downward. As sheer luck would have it, a mooring rope flapped by her at the last moment, and she grabbed it by the tips of her fingers. Her hands, strengthened by sword practice, stopped her free-fall as her body jerked violently to a stop. Kaoru gasped in pain and relief as the coarse rope dragged through her hands, friction burning heat against her palms, but she clung frantically, arms and legs wrapped around the rope. _The Black Revenge _banked sharply and veered forward, Kaoru bobbing and swaying underneath it.

Determinedly keeping her eyes upward and away from the sheer drop beneath her feet, Kaoru began scaling the rope. Part of her martial arts training had included rope climbing, but this had been up a rope tied to a stable building, not one attached to an extremely fast airship that was plowing through strong winds which tossed Kaoru around in circles like a child's toy. Pain from her ribs shot bolts of agony through her body but Kaoru ignored them as best she could, and slowly, hand over hand, pulled herself closer to the airship, eyes fixed on the topside, hoping desperately that no one would notice her until she managed to crawl onto the deck.

She was not so lucky. Suddenly, Battousai was standing on the railing that guarded the deck, perfectly balanced upon it without holding on to anything to keep his footing. His body swayed lightly with the ship, keeping balance as if he and the vessel were one. His eyes, amber in the bright sun, glittered darkly as he looked at Kaoru.

With a sickening feeling, Kaoru saw that the rope she was clinging to was between Battousai's feet. All it would take was one slice of the katana at his side and he would rid his ship of the intruder. She tried to crawl faster, hoping to seize hold of the vessel before Battousai decided what to do with her, but realizing that there was nothing stopping him from throwing her off the airship if she managed to reach the top. The airship pirates who sailed the skies often had little qualms about dropping unwanted captives overboard, and Kaoru had most unfortunately come across one of their victims splattered across a field several years ago.

Strangely, Battousai did not reach for his sword or anything to throw at Kaoru. Instead, he hopped lightly back down on the deck, and Kaoru felt something tug at her rope. Soon she was moving smoothly through the air as her attacker-turned-rescuer hauled her up topside. When she reached the deck of the ship, she was met by Battousai standing at the top with a hand held out to her. She grasped it cautiously, wondering if he planned to drop her once she let go of the rope. As a precaution, she held on to his hand as firmly as she could, determined to take him with her if he decided to let go. Plus, her katana was still at her side, and maybe, just maybe, there would be an opening to use it.

The shock of Battousai's warm, callused palm against hers was surprising: it was as if energy flowed from him to her. Looking up at him, Kaoru saw that the sun was behind him, lighting up his vivid red ponytail so that it looked like a streak of flame behind him. Those amber eyes bore into her, curious, intense, guarded, giving nothing away and as they pierced her, Kaoru was astonished to find a blush creeping up in her cheeks which infuriated and confused her.

But Kaoru had little time to meditate on flaming hair and amber eyes for as Battousai pulled her onto the deck of the ship, something small and frantic cannonballed into her, jarring her injured ribs. "Kaoru!" Tsubame shrieked. Kaoru screamed back in pain and collapsed on the deck, trying frantically to bite back the searing agony that enveloped her. The absolute worst thing she could do now was show weakness.

Battousai looked at her narrowly. "You're hurt," he said.

Kaoru muttered through clenched teeth, "I'm fine."

Battousai turned to a pirate. "Escort them both to my quarters. I will attend to them shortly." With that, he directed his focus elsewhere, disappearing into the thronging mass of pirates, some which lying bloodied and moaning on the deck.

_Dammit_, Kaoru thought. She most decidedly did not like the sound of those orders, and she had no intention of allowing Battousai to "attend to" her, shortly or longly. The pirate turned to her, and Kaoru automatically felt for her katana. Her hand grasped emptiness. For one frantic moment, she thought it had fallen out of her belt during her clamber up the rope, but casting back in her mind, she distinctly remembered that it had been in her belt as she summited the top of the ship. Battousai must have taken it from her, and without her knowing it. What would her father think to know that the heir of _Kamiya Kasshin_ had let herself be disarmed without even knowing it?

While she was musing, the pirate efficiently seized her arm and escorted her to the room, Tsubame tagging behind. He was not rough, but Kaoru knew that the thumb on her arm was right next to a particular nerve bundle that, when pressed in certain ways, would send even the strongest man whimpering to his feet. It was one of her favorite pressure points, an excellent way to rein in overly aggressive students and, on a few occasions, overly aggressive suitors. Grudgingly, Kaoru let herself be firmly directed forward and the two women were led into a small room that Kaoru assumed was Battousai's. The pirate deposited them there and left; Kaoru heard the key turn in the lock.

Tsubame ran to Kaoru, tears of fright forming in her pretty eyes. "Oh Kaoru, you're hurt!" she said, her tiny hands patting delicately at Kaoru.

"I'll be alright, Lady," Kaoru tried to assure her charge while assuring herself at the same time. Now that immediate threat was temporarily absent, Kaoru was able to take stock of the situation. One rib was broken, she was fairly certain of it and a massive migraine had started thumping at her temples. However, the true issue was that she was unarmed, in enemy hands, and had no way of protecting Tsubame from danger.

_So much for my first bodyguard assignment,_ Kaoru thought with a sigh. On the plus side, she wasn't splattered on the ground several hundred feet below and Battousai did not seem to show any sign of wanting to heave her over the side, so Kaoru reasoned that the situation could be far worse. She was temporarily unarmed, but the odds were that Battousai had some sort of weapon hidden somewhere in the tiny cabin. Moving away from the wall she was leaning on, Kaoru began exploring the room as much as her injured ribs would let her, poking under the bed, trying unsuccessfully to open locked chests, and searching for any indication that a spare sword was to be found, but came up short. Nary a weapon was to be found hiding anywhere. The wall held katana racks, but they were most inconveniently empty.

Frustrated, Kaoru slowly lowered herself to the floor. Tsubame was also sitting down, and Kaoru noticed that even in this extremely dangerous situation, Tsubame was careful to sit ramrod straight with her hands properly resting on her lap at precise angles. Kaoru wondered briefly if the girl ever relaxed for just one moment.

For quite a while, the two women sat, lost in their own thoughts. All the sudden Battousai was in the room. Kaoru didn't know how he did it: there hadn't been the sound of the key turning or door opening, but suddenly here was _there_: his presence filling the tiny room to the brim. Although closer inspection showed him to be a slender man with almost delicate features, there was nothing tiny or fragile about him. His _chi_ was intense, throbbing, almost scorching. As he moved nearer, Kaoru caught a whiff of ginger about him.

His hands carried a tray that, to Kaoru's surprise, contained medical equipment. Setting the tray down on the floor, Battousai knelt in front of Kaoru. The intensity and sheer maleness of him both attracted and repelled her. Despite all her training and the many dojo masters she had gone up against, Kaoru instinctively knew that the man in front of her could kill her effortlessly. He had kidnapped her and Tsubame, and Kaoru had no idea what evilness he had planned for them. But the sheer masculinity of his aura was dangerously intoxicating, and Kaoru could not help but feel a magnetic pull towards him.

Speaking quietly, Battousai said, "We have no doctor on board the ship. I tend my men's wounds when needed. If you remove your top garments, I will see to your injuries. You have a cracked or broken rib, I think."

Kaoru drew back, aghast at the idea of undressing in front of this man. She was his prisoner, heavens knows what a flash of breast would do to form his thoughts about how to deal with his new captive. He must have sensed her agitation because he said in somewhat gentle tones, "I have no evil intentions towards you. Since I caused your injuries, the least I can do is mend them."

Kaoru peered at him narrowly, then reluctantly began working her left arm out of her gi top. It was painful, quite painful, and she only resisted feebly when Battousai gently helped her. Thankfully underneath her gi, she had several bandages wrapped around her breasts, and she was able to keep some of them on, preserving some sense of modesty. Battousai carefully probed her ribs, testing them as Kaoru bit back screams of pain. After a few minutes of observation, he said, "One broken, one cracked. Painful, but they will mend in time."

Reaching for a pot, he started smoothing something cool and tingling on her ribs that helped ease some of the pain. Kaoru felt a slight flush of warmth spread over her as Battousai's fingers glided smoothly over her skin. Glancing up, Kaoru noted that the blazing amber in his eyes had faded somewhat and instead was a warm gold tinged with violet. Curious, she glanced again and was mortified when his head swung up and his eyes met hers. Amber intensified, and Kaoru dropped her head in embarrassment. Battousai seemed not to notice anything and went back to his task. When he was done, he wrapped her ribs up tightly in bandages, almost to the point where she had trouble breathing, then helped her ease her gi back on. Kaoru took an experimental breath. It hurt, but not nearly as much as before.

Battousai picked up a cup and handed it to Kaoru. "Drink this. It will heal you." With that, he rose smoothly to his feet and turned to the door.

Softly, Kaoru said, "Thank you."

He stopped. The flame-red ponytail moved as his head snaked back to look at her: the deep amber in his eyes was back and it glowed.

"You should not have to thank me," the quiet voice rumbled with a threat of underlying danger. With that enigmatic response, he disappeared in the same manner he had appeared.

It was suddenly much easier for Kaoru to breathe in the Battousai-absent room: the air didn't seem so close and confining. Plus, the tight bindings around her torso kept her injured ribs stable, helping reduce some of the blinding pain. Her own needs attended to, Kaoru turned her attention to her charge whose face was tear-streaked and dead white with fear.

Soothing and comforting Tsubame took some effort: Kaoru doubted that the girl had never been in any situation close to dangerous before. Eventually dinner, in the form of some surprisingly good soup and well-cooked millet appeared: plain peasant food that Tsubame glanced at quizzically before hunger spurred a tentative taste. The first bite went down well, and several more followed it until there was nothing left in the bowls. Nourishment seemed to do the girl some good for her hands stopped trembling and finally Kaoru was able to convince her to lie down and rest. Fear gave way to exhaustion, and the girl slowly dropped into a deep sleep.

Not too long after Tsubame had drifted into unconsciousness, Kaoru heard a light tap at the door. Her instincts scented the _chi_ behind the door: intense and scorching with that strange undertone of ginger. Battousai. Opening the door, Kaoru saw that he was standing in front of it, and the darkness of the night sky partially shrouded his appearance. Only the brilliant stars and the pearl-like sheen of the moon cast any illumination on the deck of the ship.

Speaking quietly, Battousai said, "Dono, I will speak with you a moment before you sleep. Come."

Kaoru instinctively gripped the door frame and shook her head. "I'm not leaving Tsubame," she stated firmly.

Battousai frowned and there was a trace of disapproval in his voice. "If I intended any harm to her, there would be nothing you could do to stop me. You are on my ship, unarmed, injured, and surrounded by my men." Then the warning note faded and his voice became more gentle, "However, you have no reason to fear; I told you I intend neither you nor the Lady Tsubame any harm. Your charge is as safe in my quarters as she would be in her own home." Waving a hand, he said, "Come with me," in a voice that was calm but commanded obedience.

Reluctantly, Kaoru gently shut the door and followed Battousai out onto the deck. It was surprisingly deserted – only a few sailors could be seen moving about. Kaoru guessed that most of them were at dinner or sleeping. Battousai led her to the side of the ship and stopped, glancing out into the night sky. It was spectacular – Kaoru had not realized how brilliant the night could be at higher altitudes. She had gained an entirely new appreciation for the beauties of the night sky on her first airship trip.

Battousai did not say anything for several minutes, merely looked out onto the vast expanse of space as if searching for something. It was Kaoru who spoke first. "What do you intend for Lady Tsubame?" she questioned tightly.

Battousai was silent for a moment, then replied, "The Lady Tsubame was the promised bride of Maeda Yoshiyasu, the son of a powerful damiyo. With their marriage, the Ii and Maeda clans would be combined. Separate, they are powerful. Together, they would be an extremely strong force, one that could conceivably take over much of Japan and rule with an iron fist." He paused for a moment, then continued carefully, "There are other forces and clans that have a vested interest in seeing that this marriage does not take place. For the good of Japan and the sake of other clans, a more suitable marriage has been arranged for the Lady Tsubame."

"With who?" Kaoru demanded.

"With the son of the Mōri damiyo in Aomori," Battousai replied.

"Aomori!" Kaoru burst out. "That's hundreds of miles away!"

"Yes it is," Battousai said. "We will be there in two weeks, three if the weather is bad. The northern area of Japan is not known for gentle weather during these late fall months."

Kaoru's temper had been steadily building for hours and it suddenly spilled over her self-control. "Now wait just one minute," she yelled. "You think you can just pluck Tsubame off her ship and carry her off to a different groom? Her father is going to raise seven kinds of hell once he finds out and set out on the warpath to bring her back..."

"That is highly unlikely," Battousai interrupted her. "The Lady Tsubame's... relocation...will be a source of deep embarrassment to the Ii damiyo. Futaka Musashi will be hard-pressed to explain to Maeda Yoshiyasu why his intended bride was not conveyed to him in a manner which ensured her safe arrival. Bereft of a promised bride, Yoshiyasu will turn his anger against Musashi, and the Ii clan will be far too busy soothing the ruffled feathers of the Maeda clan to bother pursuing one kidnapped daughter of a concubine. By the time the dust settles between Ii and Maeda, the Lady Tsubame will be married to the son of the Mōri damiyo, and Futaka Musashi will find it much more profitable to establish friendly relationships with the Mōri clan than to go to war against them."

He quirked a brow at her. "I trust that both Mōri and Ii clans will find they have many common interests and that a partnership between the two can bring them nothing but good. At the same time, there is no danger that the combined power of Ii and Maeda will overthrow Japan. All together, this is a most profitable venture."

"Except for Tsubame," Kaoru fumed. "She's just a pawn to be sold off to the highest bidder." Kaoru paused, then addeded her last statement, "Or most unscrupulous kidnapper."

Battousai was silent for a moment, and Kaoru hoped the last comment had hit home. To her surprise, he responded quietly, "It may interest you to know that Maeda Yoshiyasu is a man in his early forties with a streak of violence and a long string of wives who have a regrettable tendency to end up dead. In contrast, Motonori Yahiko, the son of the Mōri damiyo, is a young man of seventeen who is highly respected for his talents as a leader and for his personal qualities. If I am any judge of character, the Lady Tsubame will be much happier with this new match."

Kaoru digested this. The news surprised her, and even more so was the realization that the dangerous man at her side seemed to care somewhat about what happened to Tsubame. But Battousai was speaking again, "I am called Battousai. By what name shall I call you?

"Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru," she responded.

"Kaoru-dono, I am honored to meet you," Battousai said formally, bowing at the waist. Kaoru didn't return it, merely glared narrowly at the man. He ignored her expression and looked at her impassively. "The night grows late and you must be tired. Goodnight." Turning to leave, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Kaoru with her thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: arrrrgggghhhh, this chapter gave me trouble and it is not the most thrilling at first but it becomes more lively towards the end. Still no zombies yet, but there won't be. Zombies will be in another steampunk samurai fanfic. Although I think there are few things in life that are not improved by the addition of zombies. **

Life as a captive on _The Black Avenger _proved to be surprisingly mundane: Kaoru and Tsubame had free run of the ship and were treated with tolerable courtesy from the pirates. Battousai himself was scrupulously polite and respectful to the two, attuned to their needs in an exact but distant manner. However, there was no escaping the fact that both young women were prisoners, and Kaoru had little reason to trust that Battousai would be true to his word and keep the women safe.

The rough appearance of the pirate crew did nothing to build her confidence. Many of the men spotted at least some form of the body modification practices that had flowed into Japan following the opening of the country to Western influences, and gears and mechanics were heavily evident. Missing human arms and legs were replaced by mechanical ones crafted of valves, pistons, and hinges that clicked and whizzed as their owners moved about their tasks. One fellow bore a complicated contraption of lenses and frames on his head that compensated for almost nonexistent eyesight. Another had both his natural legs and one arm missing and instead relied on mechanical ones for mobility. More machine than man, he clunked his way across the deck ominously, and Kaoru and Tsubame gave him a wide berth.

Kaoru tried not to show fear but she had grown up in a small city that had strongly resisted these new changes from the West and the strange gears, gauges, wires, and hissing pistons bothered her more than she liked to admit, especially as it tended to give the men a less-than-human appearance. They were already frightening by virtue of being pirate captives, and the complicated mechanics that many of them bore as part of their bodies were unnerving to Kaoru.

However, the weapons flourishing around the ship filled Kaoru with even more disquiet. Many of the pirates were armed with katanas and other traditional weapons, but Western armory and guns were also in appearance on the ship, and some of the pirates had body modification that converted to weapons, gun barrels or blades replacing missing arms. Kaoru had only heard about these new weapons and had never seriously pondered their abilities. However, she vividly recalled the gunshots and explosions that had assaulted the _Lucky_ and shuddered to think what damage the strange weapons could cause, especially the one that had destroyed Tsubame's door.

Battousai himself was staunchly traditional: clad in a pink gi and white hakama with a katana at his side as his only weapon. A few of the crew followed his example in dress and weaponry and had apparently resisted the influences of the West. Battousai seemed strangely anachronistic, an armed samurai who seemed to follow the old Bushido code yet who was captain of a mechanical airship filled with Western devices that had cut a bloody trail through the sky, attacking and assassinating at will.

It troubled Karou to no end that she could make heads nor tails of the assassin-pirate: his _chi_ was powerful and throbbing but gave nothing away as to what lurked inside his head, and Karou had always been particularly good at reading people. Battousai was an enigma: at one moment gently helping Tsubame step across a slick bit of floor like an attentive lover, another moment staring coldly at a shirking sailor in a manner that suggested he was considering relieving the man's shoulders from the burden of his head. Karou had heard all manner of stories about Battousai's cruelty and the bloodshed his katana had caused, and the chipped and dented blade at his side bore quiet witness to these tales. Odd that the man who carried such a sword could be so surprisingly gentle, and that at times the amber in his eyes could fade to a most peculiar violet color.

But dwelling on these thoughts did nothing but make Karou flush in a most annoying manner and berate herself for allowing her heart to thump faster whenever she saw those curious eyes tilted towards her. Calling upon all her training, Karou firmly resisted thinking about how Battousai's hair shone with a thousand brilliant tints of red or how the scent of ginger and masculinity hung about him like a tangible aura. But she was surprised to find out that deciding not to think about something was an excellent way of assuring that it was never too far away from her thoughts.

Battousai himself didn't assist matters much. While he was always unfaltering polite and courteous to her, Karou had the uncomfortable feeling that he watched her quite closely. He always stood just a shade too near, looked at her with an intensity that was disturbing, spoke to her with an undertone that hinted at intimacy. Just being within eyesight of him was unsettling to Karou, and she usually found something to occupy her attention with whenever Battousai's gaze turned her direction.

Luckily, Tsubame provided some distractions. The girl was bereft of her handmaiden and Karou quickly discovered that her young charge had absolutely no practical skills, having been waited on by an army of servants since birth; Karou had to do just about everything to keep her clean, fed, and comforted, although her efforts to do so were significantly hampered by her injuries. While Tsubame knew the precise way to hold her chopsticks and the exact angle to place her hands on her lap, in many ways she was almost as helpless as a child. Kaoru suspected that Tsubame had never been allowed to become the slightest bit dirty because she fretted over her attire, hair, and nails and was quietly unhappy that a pirate's ship did not lend itself to immaculate clothing and intricately dressed hair. Since Karou herself was largely clueless about such things as properly tied kimonos and elaborate hairstyles, having long preferred the simplicity of a kendo uniform and a ribbon-tied ponytail, she could assist little in these matters and was peeved that Tsubame seemed to focus so much on them since their safety was clearly a much more pressing issue than a little dirt.

Perhaps one of the most irritating facts of their captive life on board _The Black Avenger _was the tedium. There was little to pass the endless hours, and the two young ladies spent their time either standing on the deck of the ship and looking out into the unending sea of clouds or sitting in Battousai's room trying to have a conversation. Discussions were hard as the two captives came from vastly different backgrounds – Tsubame had been schooled in the arts, philosophy, and all topics of elegant conversation while Karou knew swords and combat and the best ways to make a tiny amount of money stretch for weeks. Additionally, both women were far removed in social spheres and unaccustomed to talking with people not of their rank.

However, Kaoru was pleased to discover that Tsubame bore little traces of snobbery or condescension. In fact, she seemed eager to please and quietly submitted to Kaoru's directions. The sheer shock of her new environment seemed to have cowed the already timid girl into complete submission, and she followed all of Kaoru's orders without demure. Kaoru, acutely aware of her responsibilities and the danger the two were in, tended to boss and order Tsubame about more than she really needed to and she was somewhat irritated at how easily the girl bent to her bodyguard's edicts as if the elder was the noble and the younger was the commoner. However, since the two young women only had each other, the situation helped span the gulf between them, and Tsubame seemed genuinely interested in Kaoru's well-being. Whenever Battousai checked Kaoru's ribs, Tsubame would hover in the background looking as if she wanted to help but was unsure how to do so. Kaoru was also pleased to see that Tsubame tried to take on some of chores and spare Kaoru the effort but those elegant hands were ill-suited for any type of labor, and Kaoru found it easier to try to take care of everything herself than teach the girl what to do.

By their third day, Kaoru was almost jumping out of her skin from restlessness. The endless drone of engines was driving her mad and the bellow of pirates and constant noise of activity on the ship was mind-numbing. Tsubame, however, showed little sign of restlessness, and Kaoru surmised that she had been trained in how to endure the tedium of court life with serenity. In contrast, Kaoru's childhood had been an endless blur of activity and training, and lack of purpose and action had always made her extremely bored and restless. Her injured ribs severely hampered her movements, restricted her breathing, and constantly sent jolts of blinding pain up her side, and that angered her to no end. Despite the active life that she had lived, Kaoru had encountered few serious injuries and nothing had made her more frustrated than to be sick or incapacitated. Battousai had told her that her ribs would take one to two months to heal and Kaoru was nearly frantic at the idea of being hampered with injuries that long, especially when it was happening during a time where she most needed to be at her full fighting strength. Although as the days passed and neither Battousai nor his men offered anything that could be remotely construed as a threat, they had kidnapped the two and that was amply sufficient to make Kaoru deeply distrust them and long for her katana even though she had doubts as to how well she could wield it, if at all.

The evening after the attack on the _Lucky_, Battousai had appeared at Kaoru's door and handed her a small bottle. Quietly, he said, "This is a very powerful medicine that has remarkable healing properties. However, it is quite strong and the side effects can be unpleasant, not to mention potentially hazardous. Generally I would not have offered it to you but, Kaoru-dono, I sense that you deeply wish to be healed as quickly as you can. You are young and strong and I do not think that this will permanently harm you. Therefore, I leave the decision up to you if you wish to take the risk. Drink a capful every evening before bed, and it will significantly shorten your healing time."

"Thank you," Kaoru took the bottle gratefully. In her present situation, she did not care if the concoction would cause her to grow a third eye or shrink her several inches: she just wanted her ribs to knit over. The liquid inside the bottle tasted foul and caused her stomach to cramp so badly that the medicine threatened to come back up for air but she forced it to stay where it was and stubbornly went to bed clutching her protesting abdomen.

In the morning, Kaoru felt a trifle better and breathing was slightly easier, but she knew that healing would still take time. She and Tsubame were preparing to face what promised to be another day of intense boredom but to their surprise that morning Battousai presented them with a _Go_ set. Kaoru had never played the game before but Tsubame had, and she seemed pleased at the opportunity to teach Kaoru something. Kaoru, to her surprise, had trouble wrapping her head around the game and after awhile Tsubame was obviously trying to hold back smiles over Kaoru's mistakes. The next day they tried again, sitting under a piece of canvas that had been stretched out to provide a shade for them on deck. Kaoru was feeling a headache prick at her head and was scowling over her own incompetence as Tsubame tried gently guiding her through the intricacies of the game.

A presence made itself known, and Kaoru did not need to look up to see that Battousai was standing nearby. Her hand suddenly jerked and a black stone slipped through her fingers onto the board. "Perhaps Kaoru-dono, you would care to rest for awhile and allow me the honor of playing against the lady Tsubame?" Battousai questioned gently. Kaoru gladly abandoned her black playing stones and allowed Battousai to take over. When the pirate-assassin sat down at the opposite side of the board, Tsubame's face fell and the color disappeared from her cheeks, but he spoke softly to her and gradually the girl lost her fear and picked up the pieces. As far as Kaoru could tell, the game involved endless hours of staring at the board, and she had grown tired of it extremely quickly, but Battousai and Tsubame seemed intent on the game and Kaoru could detect a slight air of determination about her young charge as if she had marshaled some courage and wanted to defeat her opponent.

As Kaoru halfheartedly watched the game and tried to rein in her errant eyes that kept wandering over to gaze at Battousai, the weather began to change rather abruptly. The sun disappeared behind some clouds that were steadily growing heavier and more swollen. A stiff breeze began flapping the sails, and the sky darkened ominously within minutes. Battousai kept his attention on the game but it was clear the weather had caught his notice. Finally he said courteously, "Excuse me but I must leave for now to attend to the ship; however, I promise to return to complete our game." Bowing, he ducked under the canvas shelter and into the swarm of pirates who were converging on the deck and moving in purposeful ways.

Kaoru turned to Tsubame and said, "We'd better get below." Just as she did, a brilliant bolt of lightening pierced the sky, lighting up the darkness as brightly as a sunbeam. Tsubame gasped and cringed and Kaoru felt her heart thud in her chest. Shuddering to think of what would happen to the ship if it was struck, Kaoru reached out and lightly put her arm on the girl's shoulder. "Come on, we should move," but her words were half-drowned out by a clap of thunder that sent the clouds rolling and rumbling.

Rain sprang up in earnest and Kaoru and Tsubame earned a faceful as they ducked under the canopy to hurry to their room. Another bolt of lightening, this one more powerful than the first, illuminated the dark skies and cast light upon the prow of another airship bearing down on them.

A great cry rose on the deck and the action spun into a frenzy. From somewhere, an enormous light flared up and trained on the oncoming vessel. Another crack of lightning appeared, lighting up the other ship and showing that it was approaching them rapidly. In the middle of the commotion, Battousai was calling out commands in a powerful but calm voice that cut through the babble of voices.

Kaoru tugged Tsubame through the swelling crowd of pirates, and a few called out to her to get below. Her ribs ached fiercely with the increased movement and she wished fervently for a weapon. Inside the cabin, she slammed the door shut, closing her and Tsubame in darkness.

An enormous explosion rocked the ship, sending it reeling. The engines sputtered, silenced for one heart-stopping moment, then roared to life again but this time with a high-pitched whine that sounded ominously wrong to Kaoru's untrained ears. Shouts and commotion on the deck cut through the air as lightening and thunder continued to rage.

* * *

At the wheel on the helm, Battousai snapped orders to his pilot who was bleeding from the shoulder, a gash caused by a flying bit of shrapnel. His men were frantic in their activities and panic was pricking in their voices.

A sailor thundered his way up the stairs, holding a hand over a bleeding arm. "Report!" Battousai snapped out.

"Sir, we lost our main engine and third propeller and the main staff is close to coming down!" the sailor snapped out. Another resounding boom shook the ship.

"Tell the men to fire at will," Battousai ordered and the sailor shook his head

"Cannons one, two, and three on starboard are out, that first shot destroyed them, Sir!"

"Captain!" another sailor puffed forward. "Auxiliary balloon is punctured, engine two is failing, and we're dropping altitude like a stone. We've got to land or we're done for!"

Frowning, Battousai pondered for one second, weighing the options, then gave the command, "Take us down."

_The Back Avenger's_ nose dipped down and the airship lurched drunkenly towards the ground, engines whining in protest and main staff creaking ominously. "Prepare the landing gear!" Battousai commanded and the creaking of metal and clonk of wood told him that his ordered were being obeyed. Valves shrieked in alarm and steam hissed angrily. A gear suddenly exploded loose and darted across the deck, narrowly missing a sailor, and the entire ship groaned heavily.

Calmly, Battousai reached for his viewfinder and trained it on the dark sky. _The Black Avenger_ was dropping out of the thick clouds and visibility was slightly better but the raging storm still heavily darkened the sky. The attacking vessel was not far away but curiously enough it had stopped its assault and was merely following the other ship as it plunged towards the ground. _They're driving us downward_, he thought grimly reached for the katana at his side.

Below, the ground was appearing rapidly as lightening shot streaks of light across the sky, briefly illuminating the landscape beneath them as the other ship bore down heavily on the wounded vessel, hemming it in and forcing it downwards to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Tsubame gasped in terror and clutched Kaoru tightly as the airship lurched downwards, dropping altitude rapidly while the engines whined in protest and the sailors increased their shouts. "We're going to crash!" Tsubame whimpered, burying her head in Kaoru's shoulder.

In the dark cabin, it was impossible to tell what was happening but Kaoru could surmise through the noise and commotion that the ship had not been boarded yet and while it was moving downwards rapidly, it seemed more likely that they were in a semi-controlled descent as opposed to a free-fall. Extricating herself from Tsubame's grasp, Kaoru said, "Stay here. I need to see what is happening," as she tried to keep panic out of her voice. Pushing open the door, she stepped out onto the deck just as the ship gave a tremendous jerk that threw her back against the door frame. Nearly riding on the crippled mainmast was the attacking ship, an enormous contraption of wood, steel, and gears with massive propellers and huge cannons. Rain splashed heavily in her face, filling the air with moisture.

On the deck of _The Black Avenger_, pirates raced back and forth screaming commands and updates, moving equipment to and from, and assembling weapons. Battousai stood at the helm, his red hair streaming behind him like a banner and his eyes fastened on the other vessel. A bolt of lightning rocketed across the sky, striking the wounded mainmast, and with an enormous crack and groan, it slowly toppled over. _The Black Avenger_ groaned and listed heavily to the starboard side, the weight of the mast tilting it nearly on its side. Pirates swarmed forward, hacking away at the mainmast with axes, and time hung in suspension as the ship struggled to stay upright. Boxes and objects slid across the steeply tilted deck and before Kaoru's horrified eyes, a pirate screamed in terror as he slid helplessly across the deck, bounced off the railing, and fell into the dark sky, hands grasping desperately in a futile attempt to save himself.

With a final crack, the mainmast broke loose and fell, and the ship rocked back the other way, sending more objects and people sliding across the deck. A cannon broke loose and punched a hole through the side of the ship in a splintering crack of wood. For several long seconds, the ship see-sawed back and forth before finally regaining equilibrium and continuing its somewhat controlled fall towards the dark ground below.

As Kaoru clung to a ladder and tried to formulate a decisive plan of action, a pirate bellowed at her. "We're going down fast and it's going to be a hard landing! Get back inside and brace yourself!" Nodding, she stumbled her way back to the cabin to find Tsubame nearly in hysterics. Throwing herself into Kaoru's arms, the girl clung trembling to her bodyguard and the two young women waited in dread and fear as the ship continued to plunge downward.

* * *

"300 feet, captain but I still can't see a damned thing! I've no idea what we're going to land on!" the pilot bellowed.

Battousai nodded grimly. Thunder still rolled through the dark clouds and rain lashed the ship with an occasional flash of lightening illuminating the skies. _Perfect landing conditions_, he thought wryly. Yet he had not gained his reputation unjustly. He had been in far worse situations before, and _The Black Avenger_ was surprisingly tough; he had faith that she would land as opposed to crash in a splintering heap on the ground. "Easy now, my lady," he said quietly, patting the railing in front of him.

The ship, however, was clearly upset about the situation and in no mood to be humored. Practically every gauge and valve was shrieking in alarm and the ship groaned heavily, wood creaking ominously and propellers screaming in protest. As the ship descended the last hundred feet or so, the storm began abating somewhat and the ground hazily appeared through the fading blackness. _Open fields, no trees. Good, _Battousai thought to himself. However, the ground was appearing at an alarming rate, and the crew began preparing themselves for what promised to be a hard, dangerous landing.

It was. _The Black Avenger _plowed into the ground with an enormous crack, one of the landing struts breaking and the others gouging deep furrows into the earth. On deck, equipment was flung about recklessly and the ferocious jerk of the ship threatened to dislodge the men from the handholds they were grasping desperately. Inside the small cabin, Kaoru and Tsubame were thrown violently to the floor, and as they tumbled backwards, a heavy piece of machinery slammed into the cabin door, breaking it in two. Kaoru threw herself over Tsubame, pressing the sobbing girl into the floor as she waited for the next wave of recoil to hit. The ship groaned violently as the pilot fought to bring it to a standstill and with a last grinding shudder and enormous creaking of wood, the vessel stopped.

The attacking ship hovered about fifty feet over the ground, the gusts and drone from the propellers drowning out almost all other noises, and Battousai kept his eyes fastened on it. On board _The Black Avenger,_ his men were regaining their footing, checking their injuries, attending a few prone comrades, and reaching for their weapons with grim determination on their eyes, knowing the hard battle that was ahead.

They didn't have to wait long. Steel cables slithered downward attached to humanoid-shaped figures of steel and gears and as they landed on the ground, the faint light illuminated blank faces and bristling weaponry. _Mecs. Of course,_ Battousai thought. He had faced them before, men who had given up their humanity and souls for mechanical bodies, some willingly, others unwillingly. They felt neither pain nor emotion, ruthlessly efficient killing machines. Japan had strictly outlawed their making, but this edict had been a mere irritant for avaricious rich men bent on power and conquest for whom mecs were the ultimate weapon. However, thankfully there were few men in Japan who had the resources to commission them so there were not many mecs in existence, and for most of Japan, mecs were rumors and bogeymen, something that many adults denied as reality.

Most unfortunately, Battousai knew them to be a very real truth and even more unfortunately, mec after mec was sliding to the ground to face the crippled ship. As his pirates marshaled together, fear was clearly written in their eyes. Mecs were built to be extremely difficult to kill, and many of his men were already wounded from the rough landing. Sweeping his eyes across his amassed troops, he counted seven out of fifty men missing, either dead or incapacitated, and others standing but clearly injured.

Moving smoothly across deck, he barked out orders with his men scrambling to fulfill them. The mecs simply stood there, an army of steel waiting as rain plonked off their impassive frames. As Battousai strode forward, bellowing encouragements in order to put some heart into his men, a whiff of jasmine passed his nostrils. _The girl,_ he thought, turning to see a long ponytail of black swinging damply around small shoulders as she pushed her way through the throng.

* * *

Kaoru's ribs sent white-hot rivulets of pain shooting up her side, and she gritted her teeth together, willing herself to ignore them. Smoke drifted across the deck, mixing with rain to create a hazy wall of dimness that nevertheless did not hide the enemy closing in on the ship. Through gaps in the men, Kaoru could see an army of what looked like human-shaped machines advancing towards them.

A hand of iron gripped her shoulder so tightly that she let out a cry and twisted violently to remove it, but it held firm. She turned to see that Battousai was standing at her side, glaring at her with eyes of a glowing gold so hot it was almost white. "What are you doing here? Get below," he ordered coldly, the accustomed courtesy of his voice absent and in its place was an ominous battle rumble.

Despite herself, Kaoru felt fear shivering through her body as those scorching eyes blazed through her, making the man seem more dangerous than the army of metal advancing on the ship. Taking a deep breath for courage, which only sent a spasm of pain across her ribs, she barked back, "I have to protect Tsubame but I don't have a weapon."

Battousai thrust one of the strange Western guns at her. "Aim this at an attacker and pull this," he pointed to a tab of metal. "Now, go!" he gave her a slight push and Kaoru stumbled away, grateful to be away from those piercing orbs of fire. An enormous blast shook the ship, sending a canvas sail blazing into flames as the first of the mecs began climbing over the deck and advancing towards the pirates.

Stumbling back to the cabin, Kaoru took one look at the door and realized that it was too ruined to be of much use as a barricade. Instead she positioned herself behind a broken piece and looked down at the strange weapon in her hands. Aiming up into the sky, she pulled the trigger. An enormous shot rang out and the recoil sent her staggering backwards, surprising her very much. For one moment, she wished for her familiar katana but recalling the strange metal bodies marching towards the ship and feeling the aching ribs at her side, she knew that a katana would be little use against solid steel, especially since she did not have enough strength to wield it effectively. The strange weapon was going to have to do for the time being.

* * *

The first of the mecs reached the pirates, its long-dead eyes staring at them woodenly as it raised the gun in its arms to a firing position. Battousai's sword slashed too quickly for the eye to follow, and the mec collapsed to the ground, clove neatly in two, spitting fluids and sparking electricity as it fell. But Battousai was already racing towards the next one as his men charged forward. Twisting, dodging, and slicing, Battousai cut his way across the ship, leaving a trail of severed wires, twisted metal, and shattered gears in his wake. Leaping off the ship, he raced across the ground, slicing mecs as he went and was soon grasping one of the cables that had lowered a mec to the ground. As lightly as a spider, he climbed up the cable towards the ship but halfway up, a great cry at the top warned him that he had been discovered. The cable gave a shudder and began to pull loose. With an enormous jump, Battousai launched himself into the air and seized hold of a protruding spar. He nimbly scaled the belly of the ship and within seconds was standing on the quarterdeck gazing coldly down on the massed crowd below him.

A few mecs were still on the ship but the primary inhabitants were sailors racing back and forth. One spotted him and cried out. "Battousai! It's the Battousai!" Every man on the ship stopped abruptly and turned sharply to gaze at the legendary assassin who stood on the quarterdeck, eyes as cold as ice, flame-like hair whipping in the wind, and sword unsheathed and hungry for blood.

"Man the guns!" a command rang out and the grinding crunch of metal gave evidence to orders being obeyed. Battousai's eyes glittered, his mouth a thin line of contempt as the gun cannons swung around to face him. _Fools_, he thought and suddenly the demon of Kyoto was loose among the screaming throng.

Blood began trickling down the sides of the hull in rivers of red, splattering on the wet ground below.

* * *

Kaoru took careful aim at the mec bearing down up her and pulled the trigger, bracing herself for the recoil. The gun exploded in the face of the mec, sending it staggering backwards a few feet. She shot it again in the head, and it began spinning in drunken circles as if trying to regain its equilibrium although the human head encased in the helmet of steel and gears was shattered. Kaoru was astonished and disgusted to see that the skin had ripped away to expose both bones and metal underneath; it looked as if a human body had somehow fused itself with metal.

Battousai's men were attacking the oncoming mecs in a ferocious volley of gun smoke and explosions, and large chunks of metal shot skyward with each volley. However, it was painfully clear that the mecs were both deadly fighters and extremely hard to permanently incapacitate. Already there were pirate bodies lying everywhere, many with gruesome injuries, and the mecs were steadily plowing across the deck in an unstoppable wall of steel.

Battousai was nowhere to be seen; Kaoru had seen him leap off the ship and disappear into the darkness, and she hoped fervently it was to deal with the attacking airship since she highly doubted he would have abandoned his ship and his men. However, the mec army was swiftly overcoming Battousai's pirates and Kaoru realized with a sinking feeling of inevitability that if the legendary Battousai failed to live up to his reputation, everything on the ship that was not a mec would end up dead.

An enormous blast knocked a hole through the line of mecs, sending steel and gears flying across the deck. Wincing from the ringing pain in her ears, Kaoru looked up in astonishment to see that somehow the pirates had dragged a cannon onto the deck and had shot a cannonball at the mecs. It had brought four of them down, and the pirates were hastily loading another cannonball. But their efforts were interrupted by one of them shouting, "Look! The other ship!" Eyes flew upward to see that the enemy vessel was spurting flames from the forecastle. As they watched, the fire hit something flammable and a loud explosion shook the sky. The ship staggered and began lifting upward, away from the downed ship, and Kaoru could hear the cries of men on board the vessel.

Suddenly the mecs on board _The Black Avenger_ began falling in droves, their bodies split in two. Kaoru could just barely make out the whirling figure of Battousai, felling mecs and moving so quickly that he was almost impossible to spot. Another cannonball took out three mecs crawling over the edge of the deck, and the victories seemed to put fresh heart in the men for they surged forward with more courage. Kaoru took aim at another mec, shooting it right in the left eye. It must have been a lucky spot because the mec instantly became a twitching flurry of limbs that staggered towards the deck and fell over the edge. The sharp tang of scorched metal and the oily scent of mechanical fluids filled the air as mec after mec fell to the floor, pistons hissing and gears shattering.

Suddenly, it was over. Mecs lay broken, oils dripping and metal limbs jerking. Pirates were in crumpled heaps on the ground, groaning in agony and bleeding heavily from multiple wounds. The rains had abated, leaving behind a heavy fog that was sweeping across the deck of the ship and Battousai appeared in it, looming through the mist like some ancient war god. He was bathed in blood, clutching a dripping sword, and the heat of battle still raged in his eyes. Those blazing eyes swept over Kaoru and for one moment, her finger tightened on the trigger of her gun. Battousai had seemed terrifying the day he had kidnapped her and Tsubame but Kaoru realized now that the _Lucky_ had been relatively easy to take. The assassin pirate had not needed to reveal his full strength, not when the ship had been manned by common sailors and guarded by only five soldiers. Battousai's courtesy and care of his two captives had made Kaoru question his reputation as a ruthless killer but as he stood ominously in the fog, the blood of many victims dripping off his clothing, Kaoru realized just how rightly he deserved the legendary title attached to his name.

Slowly, Kaoru loosened her fingers from the gun. She had been clutching it so tightly that her hand cramped around it and was reluctantly to wiggle loose. Suddenly she was acutely aware of a raging thirst and the sharpening pain in her side. The shock of battle and the groans of dying men hit her like a fist, and she bit her tongue as nausea rolled up in her belly. Clapping a hand to her mouth, she struggled for control, ordering herself not to faint, not to collapse, not to show weakness.

Battousai caught her just before she fell to the ground, and the horrors of battle faded away into the blessed relief of unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hi everyone, sorry about the delay in posting, but I have encountered some health problems and will be starting physical therapy this week. All this is putting a serious damper on my creativity, and there really isn't much in this chapter. However, I wanted to get it posted and let you know that it may take awhile for me to finish this story. But I will complete it eventually, you have my word! Or Battousai will come and cut my head off. Or the zombies will get me, those pernicious little jerks.  
**

Kaoru drifted in a sea of dark storms; menacing shadows flashed and strange objects of steel and gears fixed malevolent red eyes on her. She wanted to fight them, strike back, but her limbs were constricted and she could not force them into obedience. Her hands were empty, no weapons at her side to beat back the assailants that appeared and disappeared through the thick clouds. In the midst was a maelstrom of shining red hair and flashing steel that turned glowing amber eyes towards her. A hand reached out, seizing her in a grip of iron.

Suddenly the fuzziness of the dream world disappeared and Kaoru shook herself awake to a face bending over her, a heavy fringe of red hair falling down almost to brush against her cheek, violet eyes with a gleam of gold peering into hers.

Kaoru lashed out and jerked backwards as a flood of memories and the fright of her dreams muddled together. A hand gripped her shoulder firmly. "_Kaoru_," Battousai rumbled, but not unkindly. "Calm yourself. You are safe. There is no need to panic."

Kaoru stopped thrashing as a spasm of pain shot across her ribs. The pain cleared her head, helped her take hold of the situation, and she shot a quick look around her to see that she was lying on a cot underneath a rough shelter of a piece of canvas stretched over her head. The air was thick with moisture and the dull gloom of the sky made it impossible to tell what time it was, but she guessed that it was late afternoon. _The Black Avenger_ lay on the damp soil like a toy ship that had been angrily dashed to the ground by a spoiled child. Broken timbers, tattered sails, and shattered propellers evidenced the heavy damage the airship had sustained, and to Kaoru's untrained eyes, it looked like it would never fly again.

She also noted the crew slowly moving about the broken vessel in methodical, purposeful patterns. Despite the crippled ship's appearance of finality, it was clear that repairs were being made, but the men themselves looked in need of serious repairs too. There also seemed to be far fewer of them and casting her eyes to the left, Kaoru saw a large mound of wet dirt that was sadly self-explanatory.

"Twenty-two. I lost twenty-two out of fifty men," Battousai answered her question before she voiced it. His voice was grim and underlined with anger, and Kaoru's eyes widened. Just about half the crew had been killed. However, recalling the rain of blood that had fallen from the attacking ship, she guessed Battousai had seen to it that their foe's casualties were much higher.

"Who was it that attacked us?" Kaoru questioned and Battousai shook his head slightly.

"I do not know." He paused for a moment and the amber gleamed deeper in his eyes. "Battousai the manslayer has many enemies, and the sky are becoming more and more dangerous. Many strange weapons are flowing into Japan from the West and aiding the warring clans and powerful men fighting for dominance," he continued grimly.

Kaoru sat up carefully and, in doing so, noticed that Tsubame was tucked away in a corner against some boxes, wrapped in a blanket and apparently sleeping peacefully. Giving her a critical look, Kaoru determined that the girl was unharmed, although likely traumatized by the attack.

_At least she's still alive, no thanks to me,_ Kaoru thought bitterly as her memory returned and shame flooded her. Quietly, she said, "I fainted, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it is a natural reaction after a battle, especially one's first," Battousai responded evenly.

Biting her lip angrily, Kaoru yanked the blanket back and pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the screams of pain emanating from her ribs. Frustration and shame welled up in her and she was surprised to find a few tears tugging hotly at the corner of her eyelids. _Stupid, worthless __idiot__,_ she berated herself. _Can't you do __anything__ right? You're lucky Tsubame isn't dead yet, thanks to your incompetence! See if you get another bodyguard assignment again after completely screwing this one up. What would Father think if he knew how poorly you've represented the name of Kamiya Kasshin? _

However, Battousai spoke again. "As I told you, the medicine I gave you is quite powerful and the healing process drains heavily on your energy levels. That and with the stress of battle, I am not surprised that you collapsed after it was over. In fact, I'm impressed that you stood your ground that long, and as I recall, defeated several mecs with an unfamiliar weapon."

His strange gold-tinged eyes swept her and she felt a strange warmth overlayed with warning move over her. Battousai had also risen with her and was standing, as usual, a fraction too close. Kaoru could sense the heat and _chi_ emanating off him, a combination that seductively lulled her senses, drawing her forward despite her efforts to resist it.

Abruptly, Kaoru turned and moved to Tsubame, bending down to check the girl and letting her back hide the frustration and confusion warring within her. Tsusbame's full lashes lay heavily on her cheeks, and her entire pose was one of exhaustion born out of deep terror. Tucking the blanket more firmly around the girl, Kaoru kept up her internal self-flagellation, berating herself for having let Tsubame fall into this situation. The girl should have been in the house of her new husband and preparing for a marriage by now, not the survivor of a kidnapping, shipwreck, and battle, and Kaoru took full responsibility for the entire fiasco.

Battousai's words broke in on her dark thoughts. "The lady Tsubame is fortunate to have you," he said quietly.

Kaoru whirled around to face him, hate and self-loathing blazing in her eyes. "Fortunate? You call this fortunate?" she spat out. "Because of my own stupid incompetence, she's a captive and has been through hell the past three days! She would have been much more _fortunate _to have had a different bodyguard, not some crippled weakling..."

"Who leapt off an airship in a suicidal but thoroughly admirable attempt to save her and did so while injured," Battousai cut her off. Suddenly he was in front of her again, too close and too intense, the heat from his energy burning into her. "And one who has fought to protect her despite those injuries. No, the lady is most fortunate indeed," he continued. Approval rang in his voice, and Kaoru felt heat rise in her cheeks.

Then Battousai's tone changed, grew darker and more ominous. "There are few who could stand against Battousai the manslayer and live. Had the lady an entire airship of soldiers, that would not have been enough to stop the demon of Kyoto from taking her." Amber replaced violet and Kaoru vividly remembered the blood-smeared assassin who had swept the battlefield, destroying mecs and human opponents with effortless ease.

Battousai took a step closer so that his body was only an inch or two from Kaoru's and the scorching intensity of his being magnified. She wanted to look away but those piercing orbs held her, freezing her in place as effectively as chains. His voice dropped lower but she could hear every syllable.

"I do not give up what is mine, be it prisoner or duty or ship," he rumbled, practically breathing in her ear, and the deep tenor of his voice sent shivers up her spine. "You would do well to remember that," he pronounced ominously and with that he turned and disappeared into the darkening evening, leaving Kaoru behind confused and severely rattled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: sorry it has been so long! Health issues are resolving themselves and new ideas are percolating – I watched **_**Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End **_**today and that was great for stoking the creative fires. Expect more mecs! And battles! And airships! And maybe some lime! (not in this chapter, but in subsequent ones). **

Over almost two long weeks, the crippled airship slowly accumulated repairs. Order emerged out of chaos but only with the most rigorous of efforts. The ship had come down in a more remote area, and supplies were scarce, the pirates exerting a great deal of creativity with cobbling together patches and repairs from whatever broken pieces of ship and machinery they could find. The weather greatly hampered their efforts: a steady drizzle of cold rain fell almost constantly, drenching everything and making all and sundry miserable. Tempers flared among the pirates, most who were injured in some way, and a few fights threatened to break out. In addition to their injuries, many of the pirates had suffered damage to their body modification, and they had to piece together repairs from whatever was at hand; more than one pirate was left with a useless mechanical limb that refused to cooperate, and that only made them more irritable.

Battousai, however, ran a tight ship and one look from his golden glowing eyes was enough to squelch whatever squabble arose, even if his men were inches from pulling daggers on each other. Despite their injuries and the sodden coldness that permeated their skins, the men were relentless in their work on the ship and Battousai was just as relentless in driving them forward.

Kaoru and Tsubame stayed under the shelter of canvas and tried to cope with circumstances as best they could. Everything inside and out was wet and miserable, fires were nigh impossible to light and keep lit, and much of the food supply was spoiled, damp, and difficult to put together into something edible. Kaoru, by default, found herself taking over the cooking, something she did with a mixture of embarrassment and conniving delight. Her cooking skills had always been extremely mediocre and it was a tiny victory to dish out bad soup and soggy rice to the men responsible for her present situation. However, Kaoru had fought besides these same men and they were all under the same trying circumstances which brought a measure of solidarity, as grudging as it may be. The pirates had treated Kaoru and Tsubame with rough courtesy and Battousai himself had been nothing but respectful, and Kaoru had been finding it difficult to muster up the energy to hate them anymore. She was far too soaked and cold, too irritated with trying to keep a recalcitrant fire from going out, and too worried about Tsubame to seethe with anger and worry over her captivity. Battousai was bringing them to a unknown destination and under present circumstances, Kaoru did not much care where it was, providing it was warm, dry, and free of mecs.

Tsubame bore up under everything bravely but she shivered constantly from the cold and could never seem to get warm. At night, she curled up next to Kaoru like a small child as Kaoru tried to channel _chi_ energy into her to keep the girl warm. She was constantly worried her small charge would develop pneumonia or some other illness but aside from just shivering and looking miserable, the girl seemed tolerably healthy. However, as the days passed, Kaoru was gradually aware of a new cast to the girl's eyes, a growing maturity and strength that had not been present before. Tsubame started to timidly ask Kaoru if she could help with food preparations and was soon performing small chores that Kaoru showed her how to complete. Kaoru noted that the activity seemed to do the girl some good; it gave her useful employment to occupy herself with rather than fretting and it seemed to calm her. While Tsubame still kept close to Kaoru's side, she gradually lost some of her abject fear of the pirates and gained some courage and resiliency, for which Kaoru was glad to see.

Days of endless rain, damp cold, and extreme unpleasantness limped slowly past. The one small comfort Kaoru had was that the medicine Battousai had given her seemed to be working and her ribs were knitting over quickly. They pained her a great deal less and she began to feel more like her normal self. Other than that, her world was just a damp ball of misery that she tried to bear up under stoically.

Repairs on _The Black Avenger_ were almost endless: Battousai not only drove his men from dawn to late at night but took part in the labor himself, wielding a hammer with the same skill and dexterity as he did a katana. Since the ship and his men consumed almost every spare minute of his waking hours, Kaoru exchanged few words with the pirate-assassin and her only contact with him was when she brought him a bowl of something poorly cooked and edible only in the technical sense of the word. She was somewhat relieved that those intense amber eyes were preoccupied enough to rarely turn towards her; they brought up unsettling feelings that she preferred to let lie dormant and unattended. However, keeping those thoughts dormant and unattended was much harder that Kaoru thought possible and her infrequent contact with Battousai did not lessen her vivid memory of his strange words to her.

_I do not give up what is mine. You would do well to remember that. _

The words echoed incessantly in Kaoru's mind, setting her thoughts to worriedly chew over them and turn them inside out searching for hidden meaning and causing her hands to tremble slightly and her cheeks to flush whenever her captor was near. But other thoughts also pricked at her mind, clamoring for attention, and after a week had passed she voiced them to Battousai.

He was sitting on a log in front of the small fire which was giving off more smoke than heat, the wet wood hissing sullenly. Night was approaching and the pirates that were not sprawled out exhausted were trying to make use of the last dying gasps of daylight by finishing up the day's work of repairs. Kaoru handed Battousai a bowl of thin soup, something she had cobbled together from their dwindling supply of food. He took it with a bow and a graceful word of thanks and she waited while he lifted it to his lips, sipping slowly while his eyes searched the reluctant fire. The flame-haired assassin seemed to be preoccupied with something, for those eyes were hooded and narrowed with thought. Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him; since for once he was not looking at her with those disturbing orbs, she was free to observe him undetected.

Battousai, as always, was a presence that was impossible to overlook – the intensity and scorching energy of his _chi_ was like a dormant volcano, something silent and still yet constantly poised for violent action. However, as Kaoru scanned him narrowly, she noticed dark circles under his eyes and the tired way he lifted the bowl to his lips as if it was made of lead. _He's exhausted,_ she thought to herself – his _chi_, while still throbbing with power, was overlain with weariness that despite his best efforts, he was not able to fully conceal.

Abruptly and without really realizing, Kaoru blurted out, "Why were you chosen for this mission?"

Battousai's head swung around to look at her as his brow puckered in confusion, and Kaoru clarified her statement. "Kidnapping Tsubame, I mean."

"I was ordered to," he said quietly.

"But why?" Kaoru persisted. Her hands slid from her chest to perch on her hips and she noticed with satisfaction that her ribs did not twinge when she brushed her hand against her injured side. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're an assassin. A kidnapping job seems a little out of your area of expertise."

"I do what I am ordered to do by my superiors," Battousai responded but Kaoru cocked her head to glare at him.

"Tsubame is not that high of a political target and she wasn't that heavily guarded," Kaoru persisted. "I've been thinking about it for a long time and it just seems odd that you were chosen for this mission when I'm sure other people could have taken it over. Why send Battousai the manslayer for a simple kidnapping? It seems like a case of using a cannon to kill an mouse."

Battousai's eyes darkened and Kaoru could see the cogs in his head beginning to churn as she pressed forward. "And the attack on _The Black Avenger_, doesn't that seem, well, a little odd? What was the purpose of it?"

"I have many enemies..." the pirate-assassin began but Kaoru waved a hand impatiently.

"I don't pretend to be an expert in military tactics, but the whole thing seems strange," she huffed and began to pace a bit. "Why did they drive us to the ground instead of just shoot us out of the sky? Why the mes when they obviously had superior firepower? They used their guns enough to cripple but not destroy us, why? Why did the mecs wait so long to attack instead of attacking the second they hit the ground? There's just a lot of unanswered questions and if you ask me, the whole thing was dicey from the start."

Battousai was silent for several long moments, then he slowly responded. "I will not deny that I have had similar thoughts yet perhaps not quite as well-formed as yours," he said quietly. "And I have no answers for you, Kaoru-dono. But," he set the bowl down firmly and the golden gleam of his eyes sharpened, "come mecs or questions, I will fulfill my duty and deliver the lady Tsubame to Motonori Yahiko as I have been commanded." He rose to his feet smoothly, and Kaoru felt frustration build in her, both that her questions had gone unanswered and that Battousai seemed to quick to dismiss them.

The assassin-pirate handed her the empty bowl with a bow and turned to disappear into the darkening gloom but before he left, he said quietly over his shoulder, "However, I will bear these questions in mind, and I thank you for bringing them to my attention." With that, he slipped into the dark shadows, leaving Kaoru behind to fuss over both the dying fire and her nagging thoughts.

* * *

After thirteen days, _The Black Avenger _had accumulated enough repairs to be air-worthy again, although Kaoru deeply doubted its ability to stay aloft for more than a few minutes. Despite the endless grind of repair work, the ship looked a few broken boards away from a trip to the scrapyard, but Battousai calmly pronounced that it would fly again. Reluctantly, Kaoru boarded it, a few steps behind Tsubame who moved up the gangplank with a quiet confidence Kaoru was surprised to see and clutching a small bag filled with a few items she had accumulated. Battousai was standing at the top of the gangplank, and he gallantly handed Tsubame into the ship. When Tsubame's feet touched the deck of the ship, she drew herself up and looked at her captor although she did not quite meet his eyes. "When might we expect to reach our destination?" she questioned in a voice that held some firmness, despite the tiny quaver of nervousness still present.

"I expect in three days, my lady," Battousai answered gently and Tsubame nodded.

"Good, thank you," she responded, then her courage seemed to shrink somewhat because her cheeks reddened and she ducked her head slightly. However, the girl held her back straight as she crossed the deck of the ship and disappeared into the cabin.

Battousai also handed Kaoru into the ship, and Kaoru felt a shiver of energy run across her spine as his calloused hand gripped hers; it didn't help that he kept his fingers wrapped around Kaoru's longer than was necessary after she placed her feet firmly on the deck. Wearing a similar blush that she fought to hide, Kaoru tugged her hand free and followed her small charge, struggling to keep tremors out of her frame.

With yells from the pirates and a bustle of frenetic movement, _The Black Avenger _creaked and groaned as it reluctantly left the ground and began climbing up in the air, its propellers whining in a high-pitched clamor of unhappiness. It limped reluctantly upwards, inching forwards slowly until it reached cruising altitude, then it moved blearily though the clouds, protesting the entire time in a way that set Kaoru's teeth on edge. However, the repairs held true and the ship stayed aloft. The pirates were kept quite busy assessing that repairs were staying true and there was a constant stream of activity on board the ship to check and recheck every patch and repaired joint so that the airship continued its journey forward rather than back to the ground where it clearly wanted to be.

Kaoru was occupied with trying to stretch the last meager bits of food to feed everyone on board. Rations were short, which only acerbated already shortened tempers, and it was abundantly clear that the pirates had eaten enough of Kaoru's cooking to last them a lifetime. The driving rain, cold, outdoor sleeping, and general hardships were also wearing heavily on the two captives. Both women had lost weight that both could ill-afford to lose, Kaoru was still nursing ribs that were not fully healed, and Tsubame looked pale and drawn. All but the most rudimentary of grooming had been abandoned, and Kaoru was painfully aware of how much she smelled and how desperately both she and Tsubame needed a bath. With all the hardships they had undergone, Kaoru found herself deeply longing to reach their endpoint and even Tsubame seemed eager to reach their final destination although it held unknown situations and challenges for her. However, in the midst of the difficult circumstances, Tsubame had gained a measure of courage and resiliency which had lent her strength, and Kaoru was delighted to see that her small charge was slowly changing from a child into a young woman.

On the third evening of _The Black Avenger_'s resumed voyage, Kaoru was in the small scullery counting the remaining rations and hoping desperately that the ship would either reach port or find somewhere to buy supplies before they all started starving. Tsubame was sleeping in the cabin but Kaoru was too agitated to remain still. As she irritably tossed empty boxes aside and banged open drawers, a presence made itself know and Kaoru looked up to see Battousai standing on the threshold, his eyes fastened on her.

The bowl in her hands trembled, and Kaoru set it down with an irritated thump, hoping he wouldn't notice. As usual, Battousai was armed with his deadly katana, but he also carried one in his hand that Kaoru recognized in a heartbeat. Holding it formally in both upraised palms, Battousai presented it to her, bowing at the waist. "It is time that I returned this blade to its rightful owner," he said.

Gratefully, Kaoru grasped it, taking back the sword that had been her father's. Looking at Battousai, her eyebrows knit in puzzlement. He answered her unspoken question. "We will reach our destination tomorrow if the weather holds. I trust that both you and the lady Tsubame will come to see your situation less as a captivity and more as a new life for the both of you. She should stop seeing herself as a prisoner and to do so she will need you by her side as her bodyguard, not as a fellow captive."

"Thank you," Kaoru responded and slid the katana into her belt, feeling the hardness of the _saya_ pressing into her side in a comfortingly familiar way. Her ribs had healed to the point that she thought she could wield a sword again with some ability and not be too held back by her injuries. Her hand itched to draw the metal from its sheath and send it dancing in the air for the simple pleasure of moving freely and strongly. Instead, she rested her palm loosely on the braided hilt and nodded to Battousai.

His eyes glittered and Kaoru felt his _chi_ shift and intensify. He moved closer and Kaoru gulped as she felt the heat of his body radiate off him like rays from the sun. Looking down at her, Battousai rumbled quietly. "It is a good blade. It suits you and you wear it well." Kaoru could smell the scent of ginger that was as much a part of Battousai's essence as the intense _chi_ that emanated from his core. Biting her lip nervously, she fought for control as Battousai's presence bore down on her. He was close, too close, and those amber eyes were fastened on her face, demanding her attention. Half defiantly, half timidly, she raised her eyes to meet his and nearly looked away, alarmed by the intensity she saw there, but his golden orbs locked onto hers and she could not bring herself to tear away.

He was directly in front of her, the fabric of his _gi_ brushing the front of hers and the fringe of his bangs almost touching her face. Kaoru was acutely aware of how dirty she was and how desperately she was warring between an overwhelming desire to run away and an equally strong desire to stay put and see what it was exactly that Battousai had in mind. However, from the golden gleam in his eyes, it was transparently obvious what he wanted and from the way his hand reached under her chin to pull her head up to meet his, it was also obvious that he intended to take what he wanted. His callused fingers were startlingly warm along her jaw and his hard palm cupped her chin gently but firmly as his head dipped down to meet hers.

The sound of stomping feet momentarily precluded a bellow of "Captain!" as a pirate appeared in the door frame. Startled, Kaoru jerked backwards and looked up nervously as Battousai dropped his hand from her face and stiffened his shoulders. The air in the room suddenly grew thicker as the flame-haired assassin's face darkened with anger and his eyes narrowed. The pirate turned pale as his captain slowly turned around and bore down upon him with the steady tread of an advancing tsunami, promising certain death with every footfall.

"Yes? What?" Battousai said, each letter a foretelling of doom. The pirate cleared his voice and began babbling out something about failing air pressure and Kaoru took it as an opportunity to slip quietly from the room and find her way to the cabin where she could hide her blushes and sort out the rattling thoughts in her head. Tsubame was sleeping peacefully but Kaoru could find no rest, and she tossed and turned on the blankets until sheer exhaustion finally demanded its due.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: We now interrupt our regularly scheduled programming of mecs, swords, and mayhem for some well-deserved elegance, high fashion, and some lime to enliven things. Enjoy and keep the reviews coming! Reviews are good and entirely too addicting. **

Kaoru gave a deep sigh of pleasure as she felt the luxurious silk gi delicately enrobing her skin in softness. Two days past, _The Black Avenger_ had finally limped into port and deposited its cargo in Aomori. The daimyo and his son were not in residence, having been called away by a minor crisis, and Kaoru was deeply thankful that the two lords were not present: Tsusbame was bedraggled and weakened from semi-starvation, and she was in no condition to meet her intended husband. Instead, the two had been greeted by a cavalcade of officers and courtiers who had escorted them to the daimyo's residence where an army of women swept them up and whisked them away, tutting loudly over the condition of their new guests.

Two days of intense bathing, soaking, shampooing, brushing, massaging, feeding, resting, and fussing had passed in an onslaught of scented bubbles and the high-pitched clamor of dozens of female voices. Kaoru's former life of swords and combat training had left her little acquainted with many of feminine delights available to women and much to her astonishment she found herself quite enjoying the pampering. It had left her with silky, gently scented hair intricately piled on her head and affixed with delicate ornaments, soft and callus-free feet, meticulously manicured nails, and facial features accented by cosmetics. As Tsubame's bodyguard, Kaoru had spurned a kimono, knowing it would limit her movements, so the serving women had enveloped her in an indigo-blue hakama patterned with cherry blossoms and a spotless white gi, both made of the finest silk which swished and swirled around Kaoru in a shimmer of elegance.

However, Tsubame easily outshone Kaoru as well as every woman in the room. As Tsubame moved gracefully across the highly polished floor to be formally presented to her future husband for the first time, she looked a living china doll. In her sky-blue kimono embroidered over with pictures of elegant bridges and her elaborately-piled hair, Tsubame was breath-taking. She glowed like a pearl in the afternoon light, her fine head held high as she carried herself with both modesty and quiet courage.

On the dais sat the daimyo with his son Motonori Yahiko standing a little off to the side. Kaoru examined him critically as she and Tsubame approached with the small knot of courtiers that were serving as their escorts. Lord Yahiko was perhaps a few inches taller than Battousai and unlike many of the men in the room, he was dressed simply in a black hakama and yellow gi specked with black and topped with a red haori, a plain blade at his side. His face was solemn, and Kaoru detected a hint of sternness in the set of his jaw, the mop of rather messy black hair also giving him a certain sense of stubbornness. However, as the courtiers in front of Tsubame moved to the side so that the lord had a clear view of his future bride, the hardness of his face softened and was replaced by a look of wonder and surprised delight. Turning her head slightly, Kaoru was pleased to see a slight blush rise to Tsubame's cheeks and her eyes dip downwards.

When the small party reached the front of the dais, Tsubame moved forwards gracefully and lowered herself to the ground in a full bow, executing it with the exacting skill borne out of long practice. To her surprise, Lord Yahiko stepped forward and knelt down to take her hand in his. "No," he said, his voice firm but kind. "You are to be lady of this land, and I will have you stand before me, not bow." His hand was gentle against hers, and her small fingers felt fragile in his strong palm. Warmth crept over Tsubame as she rose to her feet and faced her future husband. His eyes were gentle as they looked at her, and a pleased smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Gently letting Tsubame's hand free, Lord Yahiko pronounced in a voice that carried across the room. "Welcome Futaka Tsubame to the house of my father. May our families be united and the bonds strengthened between our lands so that all may prosper."

"I thank you Motonori Yahiko. May the uniting of our hands bring peace upon both our households," Tsubame responded formally. Her voice was not quite as strong as Yahiko's but Kaoru was pleased to see that it was firm and confident. _How much she has changed_, Kaoru thought to herself.

"Very good," the daimyo said for the first time, and Kaoru turned her attention to him. He had allowed his son to take control of the preliminaries and from the slight smile on his face, Kaoru detected kindness and paternal care in his powerful demeanor. It boded well for Tsubame's future and for the first time, Kaoru began to feel as if things would indeed work out in her charge's favor.

The next several hours did not, however, work out in Kaoru's favor. Entirely unfamiliar with the proceedings of court, Kaoru was astonished to find out how maddeningly tedious they were. As far as she could tell, Tsubame was being formally introduced to absolutely everyone in the daimyo's household and court if not within his entire province: a parade of people kept approaching the dais and going through the exact same drawn-out introduction process. Kaoru had been assigned her place and had absolutely nothing to do but endure the long wait. As the hours ticked by, she gained a new respect for Tsubame: although the teenager might not have the physical strength of her bodyguard, she had the mental discipline and stamina to carefully observe every gesture and form demanded by etiquette and withstand hours of the most intricate of courtesies. Kaoru had long decided that if she was forced to do the same, she would quickly go mad and run screaming from the room.

The arrival of the dinner hour signaled the end of the formal presentation process but dinner brought with it an entirely different set of etiquette, formalities, and needlessly complex social situations. Kaoru was comforted by the fact that she only needed to observe the courtly proceedings and was not required to take part of them: as a bodyguard, her sole duty was to stand a little off to the side and glower freely at anything that looked threatening, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone who might wish harm on her charge. However, it quickly became clear that her presence was rather superficial. Lord Yahiko carried the sword at his side with the same quiet confidence of Battousai, a certain cast to his body which emphatically stated that giving him any reason to draw the weapon would be a swiftly fatal mistake. He was already attending to Tsubame with a protective possessiveness that emphatically marked her as his own, and Kaoru knew that the lord would watch over the safety of his bride-to-be with all the diligence Kaoru herself would take.

Once the endless dinner had eventually drawn to a close, people began breaking up in small groups and drifting out into other areas of the house. Lord Yahiko beckoned to Kaoru and said, "I wish to have an audience with my intended bride. You may amuse yourself as you see fit." A slight flush rose up in Tsubame's cheeks, but she held herself quietly, awaiting her lord's orders, although delight was clearly written on her face.

Kaoru bowed and removed herself from the obviously happy couple. As she left Tsubame's side, she suddenly realized that it was the first time she had been separated from her charge in weeks and she was somewhat at a loss for what to do with herself. The fine lords and ladies of the court certainly would not be interested in speaking with a commoner such as herself, and the other guards had stared at her either in disapproval over the sight of a woman carrying a katana or with a predatory slant to their eyes that hinted of an approval that had nothing to do with swords whatsoever.

Rather than pursue company, Kaoru's wandering feet found their way outside the grand house, a far finer one than she had ever seen in her life, and were soon heading towards the elegant garden that beckoned to her in the waning sunlight. Delighted, Kaoru moved forward and eagerly set her feet on the white stone path. The garden was so meticulously manicured that she was half-afraid to walk through it, worried that if she disturbed one stone, a horde of gardeners would come racing out from behind the trees and beat her senseless with their shovels. Giggling, she conjured up a mental image of this happening and amused herself for a few minutes by envisioning a scenario involving herself fighting off a band of furious gardeners before the beauty of the garden captured her attention.

The cherry trees were in their fullest, most luxurious bloom and delicate petals drifted in the slight breeze. A few floated down to rest on Kaoru's shoulders as she stepped along the path. Entranced, she wandered under the elegant boughs that stretched over her head like a canopy and soon reached a small bridge arched elegantly over a quiet pond where fat, golden fish drifted in lazy circles. Standing on the bridge, Kaoru looked down to see the full moon shining in the water like a golden pearl as the scent of the cherry blossoms danced lightly in the cool breeze.

"So beautiful," a quiet voice broke in on Kaoru's thoughts. Startled, she whirled around to find Battousai standing at the edge of the bridge, the moonlight shining on his flame-red hair. Kaoru instantly felt her heart began knocking against her chest wall as the pirate lord stepped onto the bridge; within a few paces, he was at her side, gazing at her with eyes that reflected the glitter of the moon. He had foregone the worn pink gi and white hakama that he normally wore and instead was dressed entirely in black: the shadow-colored hakama, gi, and haori making him a creature of the night and emphasizing his power and strength.

Flustered, Kaoru dropped her eyes, focusing on the golden fish swimming under her feet. "Yes, the cherry blossoms are quite splendid," she said, rather nervously. "I've never seen trees so lovely before." She was painful aware that her hands were cold and her lips were trembling in a way that threatened to loosen a string of meaningless babble. Clamping her teeth together, she warned herself to stop talking before she said something regrettable.

Battousai's voice dropped lower and there was a strange warmth to it that called up a blush to Kaoru's cheeks. Leaning in, he said, "I was not speaking of the blossoms," caressing each tone as his breath sent a lock of Kaoru's hair whispering across her cheek.

Shivering slightly at the sensation, Kaoru blurted out "I...I..you what?" Risking a look at Battousai, she found her eyes captured and held by him; as she nervously gazed into those piercing orbs, she saw the violet tinge with warm gold.

"Oh yes," Battousai purred, a calloused hand gently capturing her chin and lifting it up so that she could not turn her glance away from him. "There are many lovely things in this garden but only one has my full attention. Besides," his lips curled in a triumphant smirk, "I believe we have interrupted business to complete."

Somewhere in the deep recesses of Kaoru's mind, a tiny voice was feebly yapping that she had a sword and swords were useful in situations such as these to fend off unwanted attention. _Unwanted? _she countered the thought. _Well, I suppose technically it is unwanted. But wait, is it? And even if it is, I..._

As Kaoru waged a silent inner debate with herself, Battousai's lips descended upon hers and all thought swiftly vanished. His arms encircled her body as he pressed her gently against the bridge's railing, careful to avoid her still-tender ribs as his fingers trailed lightly across her back and sides in delicious circles. Kaoru stiffened instinctively, then melted slowly against him as her trembling hands raised to clasp his shoulders and her body rolled up on her toes, unconsciously moving into his hard frame.

Cool fingertips traced intricate patterns across the nape of Kaoru's neck as hot breath ghosted across her collarbone. Battousai tugged gently on her lower lip before moving downward to suck lightly on the curve where her neck and shoulder met.

Kaoru shivered. "Battousai," she gasped out, her voice raspy in her throat.

"Kenshin," Battousai rumbled and pulled his head up to look her in the eyes. "Battousai is the name of the assassin. Himura Kenshin is the name of the man. But," his eyes gleamed. "Both names sound sweet on your tongue."

"Kenshin," Kaoru pronounced hesitantly, pondering over the name but her thoughts were quickly disturbed as Battousai resumed kissing her along her shoulder and neck, then dropped his head to the fold of her gi where the overlapping front angled away to show bare skin and the top of her breastbands underneath. Kaoru gasped breathlessly as his tongue slipped underneath the bands to slide between her breasts, sending fire racing up her spine as her entire body shivered.

"Kenshin," she moaned, gripping his shoulders. "Kenshin, stop. Please."

His head swung up to meet hers and she was alarmed to see pure gold gleaming in them. "Did they not tell you?" he questioned, a proprietary smile sliding across his face.

"Tell me what?" she responded, trying desperately to rein in her erratic emotions. Battousai's eyes were hungry in the moonlight and the heat he was generating thrilled and alarmed her.

He caught her chin with his fingers again. "The daimyo asked me what reward I wished for bringing the lady Tsubame to his son. I told him that there was only one prize I desired." His eyes blazed into hers. "You."

"Me? But..but I...now just wait a minute!" Kaoru sputtered out, feeling a cavalcade of indignation, alarm, panic, and baffled excitement smash together into a crazed heap of emotions.

Battousai laughed, an amused chuckle that bordered on condescending. Bending, he lowered his lips to her ear. "Have you forgotten what I told you, my pet?" he breathed hotly against her skin. "_I do not give up what is mine_. I said that you would do well to remember those words."

"But...but I..." Kaoru's brain was suddenly incapable of forming a thought that was anywhere near rational. Battousai did not wait for her to continue but slid a hand down to rest lightly against her almost-healed ribs.

"This body I attacked only at need and not willingly, and these ribs I broke only because their owner was so determined to fight me," he said quietly, almost solemnly. "I have regretting that action every day since then." Bending, he placed his lips on her still-tender ribs and kissed them gently through her gi. "In penance, I will kiss them a thousand times every day to better speed their healing and to ensure their continued strength."

Kaoru's mind was a battlefield of warring factions and she could do little but blink erratically. Such was the state of her confusion that she did not protest when Battousai gathered her in his arms again and pressed his lips against hers, this time more urgently. He finally, abet reluctantly, pulled away, leaving a kiss-swollen, flushed Kaoru panting with the heat of the moment and thoroughly unsure of what to do next. Seeing her baffled expression, Battousai gave a rumble of a laugh. "The night grows late, my pet, and you are still recovering from these past few weeks. I will leave you for now that you may rest. Sleep well and do not forget what I told you." With a ripple of black fabric, he disappeared into the scented night air.

Several minutes later, or possible hours if not entire days, Kaoru found herself in Tsubame's chambers with absolutely no recollection of how she had gotten there from the garden. Tsubame was glowing with an ill-conceived delight as her maids fussed over her, preparing her for bed. Finally, she dismissed them with a wave of her fingers and an air of command, then turned to Kaoru.

Smiling shyly, Tsubame said quietly, "The Lord Yahiko is very kind, isn't he?"

"Yes, very much so," Kaoru responded absentmindedly.

"And..." Tsubame's voice dropped to a whisper. "And handsome too, I think."

By virtue of sheer will, Kaoru dragged her mind away from what had just transpired in the garden and forced herself to focus on Tsubame. "Yes, he is," she replied brightly. "In fact, if you don't like him, I'll take him off your hands for you."

The joke sent Tsubame's lips curving up in a smile. Suddenly, she rose to her feet and began swinging lightly on her toes in a girlish gesture that surprised Kaoru. "Oh, Kaoru," she gasped out, her eyes shining. "Is it wrong for me to be so happy? I mean, I should be fulfilling my duty and marrying the man that Father selected for me. It feels almost disloyal to...to admit that I'm..." her voice dropped again. "I'm glad I was kidnapped," she said in a rush, and her face flushed as she clapped her hands to her cheeks. "Oh, that sounds so terrible!"

"Absolutely not," Kaoru replied staunchly. "You have every right to be happy and I know that you and Lord Yahiko will have many children and make each other very happy. If a kidnapping is what it took to bring this all together, then I'm glad it happened too!"

The sudden arrival of a few serving maids with tea and a bedtime snack interrupted the conversation and Kaoru was grateful for the interruption. The maids' chattering and subsequent distraction let Kaoru be alone with her thoughts and try to make some sense out of them but sense eluded her. Further pondering only brought more questions, and her outwardly calm face tucked them away from public view while her mind endlessly replayed the husky voice breathing into her ear those hot words: _I do not give up what is mine. _


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning commenced abruptly with an endless stream of giggling women that stormed Tsubame's bedroom to prepare her for the wedding that evening. The damiyo had decided that since Tsubame was now safely ensconced in his residence, it was prudent that she and Lord Yahiko be married as soon as possible less Futaka Musashi catch wind of his daughter's location and launch a protest. According to the serving women, the entire residence had been hard at work planning the wedding for weeks and now that the bride was secured, events could proceed seamlessly.

Tsubame submitted to the intense primping and polishing with a distracted, dreamy air that made it abundantly clear nothing was going to spoil her happiness on her wedding day. Kaoru had thought that her small charge had been elaborately dressed the day before, but Tsubame's wedding clothes far surpassed what she had worn to first meet her future husband, and the dressing and grooming process took just as long as it had yesterday.

Kaoru herself donned the same clothing she had worn the other day and let the serving women fuss over her hair and makeup while she sported a distracted air similar to Tsubame's, but her feelings were far more tumultuous than the bride-to-be's. Again and again, she replayed the event in the garden, blushing furiously as she remembered the feeling of Battousai's fingers trailing across her back and his hot kisses pressing against her throbbing skin. His words kept galloping through her mind, demanding her attention.

_I do not give up what is mine. _

_There was only one prize I desired. You. _

Recalling those words only made Kaoru mind become a maelstrom of opposing emotions but as the day passed, the shock of last night's events began to fade and was replaced by a growing wall of indignation aimed at the red-haired assassin. _How __dare__ that...that bastard think he can just __claim__ me like I'm some hijacked ship or something! _she fumed._ The next time I see him I am so going to give him a piece of my mind for having the audacity to think that I'm just going to let him snatch me without a fight. I..._

The logical side of her brain interrupted this fuming rant by pointing out quietly, _I didn't see you putting up any sort of fight last night. _

_Hey! _The emotional side protested. _I was kinda taken unaware last night and I, well, I, um..._

_Pffff, _the logical side countered. _You liked it, and you knew it. Admit it, he is unbelievably attractive. _

_Shut up! _Emotion commanded.

_And a really good kisser, _Logic sniggered.

_Shut up! _

This mental squabble was temporarily suspended by Tsubame girlishly demanding Kaoru's opinion on what, to Kaoru, looked like three identical hairpins. She made some vague remark which seemed to satisfy Tsubame, and the bride-to-be quickly transferred her attention to the best way to tie her obi. Kaoru determinedly forced her mind away from her thoughts as much as she possibly could, but they kept popping up to the surface despite her heroic efforts to keep them at bay.

Luckily as the day progressed, activities became more frantic and there was more to draw Kaoru's thoughts away from alternately fuming and blushing about devious, demanding, worryingly sexy assassins. The chatter of female voices increased exponentially as the hour of the wedding approached, driving Kaoru to near madness and sending her fingers itching to seize a bokken and start smacking heads until the inane giggling ceased. However, Tsubame merely smiled and fluttered and blushed dreamily, and Kaoru realized that she had never seen her charge so carefree before. It became her and when the endless stream of dressing, tying, perfuming, polishing, and fussing had finally reached its conclusion, the bride stood before her attendants as glorious as the rising sun, an exquisite creature seemingly too fine and elegant to be real.

As was befitting her station, Tsubame was brought to her groom on an artfully-decorated litter carried by four elegantly-dressed male servants while Kaoru and the other attendants followed on foot. Lord Yahiko stood waiting for his bride in the family shrine along with his father and the other members of court. It was transparently clear that the groom was trying to keep a solemn, implacable expression suitable for a lord of his rank and failing miserably: happiness was as clear on his face as it was on the shining countenance of his bride. The Shinto priest was waiting for the couple and when Tsubame and her entourage arrived, the wedding began.

In comparison to the endless ceremonies of the day before, the wedding was a mercifully brief affair and the dinner afterward was more lively; sake flowed freely, and the elegant nobles of court seemed intent on toasting the happiness of the new bride and groom who sat at their own table and paying little attention to anything but each other. Tsubame was dreamily ignoring the food in front of her, and Yahiko wore a pleased smile that did not abate even when the liveliness of the celebration began to border on raucous. Both the bride and the groom kept sneaking surreptitious glances at each other, then looking embarrassed but delighted when a mutual glance collided.

Kaoru observed the events, thrilled with Tsubame and Yahiko's behavior and not thrilled with the other diners who were becoming louder and more obnoxious by the minute. A few of the bolder and more intoxicated of the men began calling out toasts to the happy couple that steadily grew coarser, and two of them broke into a painful rendition of some drinking song that was heavily laced with sexual innuendo.

The happy expression left Tsubame's face which quickly caught the attention of her new husband. Frowning, he stood to his feet and raised a hand for silence. Several less-inebriated souls quickly hushed the disorderly carousers and a temporary lull fell over the crowd.

"My lords and ladies, the hour grows late and my bride has still not fully recovered from her recent travels," Yahiko spoke in a firm voice. "We will leave you now to toast our health and happiness. Please, enjoy yourself and good evening." A few catcalls and an indistinguishable comment or two responded to the lord's farewell but most everyone bowed him a goodnight, then turned their attention back to the sake.

Kaoru saw a furious blush break out on Tsubame's face as she rose to her feet, smiling and ducking her head as her groom lead her away to their wedding chambers escorted by his guards and leaving Kaoru behind. Kaoru had been drilled in her new duties, and one rule was that her presence was not required whenever Tsubame was with her husband: Lord Yahiko's guards and his own sword were sufficient for his new bride's protection.

Feeling a trifle lonely, Kaoru watched Tsubame and Yahiko leave and then turned her head back to the crowded banquet that had quickly become much more disorderly. In fact, more than one lord seemed to be trying to catch her eye and entice her into having a drink with him, so Kaoru excused herself and left to find a quieter place. Remembering the episode in the garden, she blazed with indignation and embarrassment and decided instantly that even if the damiyo's entire residence was to suddenly burst into flames and she had to flee for safety, there was no way she was getting anywhere near that treacherous garden ever again. Most fortuitously, Battousai had not been present at the wedding, or at least where Kaoru could see him, and the next time she faced the assassin-pirate, she intended to give him a very large piece of her mind skewered on the end of her katana and force-fed down his sniggering throat.

No, the garden was definitely out of the picture. In fact, as much as Kaoru hated to admit it, the safest place for her was back in the women's quarters. She doubted that Battousai would think to look for her there and if he did, the high level of perfume-to-air ratio and the shrieking decibels would surely sent the pirate lord backing away in panic. Having made her decision, Kaoru reluctantly headed back to the women's area, intent on dinner and a good night's sleep.

The air outside was cool and the night was overcast as she stepped out on the porch to skirt around the side of the enormous house; it was a shortcut and hopefully would keep her out of the way of any further revelers. The silence of the twilight was soothing after the noise and commotion of the day and Kaoru breathed in the cherry blossom-scented air, feeling the tension of the day prick at her shoulders and head. As she rounded one corner of the house, her _chi_ sense suddenly snapped to alert. Stopping, Kaoru automatically felt for her katana handle and reached out with her senses, tasting the air for any imminent danger. Something was sending her inner alarms clamoring in worry but she could get no trace on what it was that threatened.

A small prick jabbed her in the neck. _Ouch! Stupid big mosquito, _Kaoru thought to herself irritably. Slapping her hand to her neck, she thought of the huge bite mark she would be sporting the next day but her questing fingers touched not a welt but a small nub of metal embedded in her skin, _What the...? _she thought, right before the world turned fuzzy and her knees sagged. _Poison! No! I can't..._ Oblivion claimed her, and Kaoru knew no more.

**Author's note: I'm sure you readers have some questions at this point, so let me answer them for you. 1) No, Kaoru is not dead, she's just been knocked out. 2) She's actually in the process of being kidnapped again: Kaoru seems to have a talent for being kidnapped in this story. 3) Kaoru will eventually get to do some really cool kick-butt stuff eventually instead of her so-far established routine of being beaten in combat/kidnapped/starved/shot at/attacked by mecs/dodging serving women wielding makeup brushes/thoroughly snogged. Don't worry! Other RK characters are going to be joining the fray next chapter, there will be more mecs, more swords, and more awesomeness! (okay, I think there has been awesomeness but since I am the author my views are not exactly unbiased so I leave it to you all to decide about the existence of awesomeness). Thanks for reading! **


	9. Chapter 9

Yahiko leaned back against the silk cushions and watched with quiet pleasure as his new bride sat a little apart from him, dreamily combing through her long, raven locks with an elegant ivory comb. Late morning light shone brightly on her hair as it slipped through her fingers and the comb's teeth. Glancing up, she saw the smiling eyes of her groom fastened on her and blushed happily, the bridal glow still present on her face.

_She is most enchanting_, Yahiko thought to himself, a little astounded that after knowing her only three scant days, this elegant creature had managed to enthrall him so thoroughly. _Thank you, Father,_ he added silently. As the only son of the damiyo, Yahiko had grown up knowing that one day he would be wedded to a stranger in order to strengthen his family's ties with other lands. His father's decision to have Tsubame captured and brought to his side struck Yahiko as strange, dishonorable even, but he had bowed to his father's wishes, knowing it was his duty to marry the woman his father had selected. However, he had not expected to be quite so enraptured with the arranged marriage, let alone so quickly. Not a full day had passed since the wedding, and he was already enamored with his blushing young bride.

The young lord's thoughts were interrupted as a serving girl bowed her way into the room. He waved his hand at her, and the girl slipped forward to place a note in her mistress's palm before bowing out the door. With mild interest, Yahiko watched as Tsubame broke the seal and opened the missive, noting how her bow-shaped lips rounded in curiosity and her head cocked enticingly to the side as she perused it. Within seconds, the look of surprise vanished as Tsubame dropped the letter and covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes widened in shock and grief.

In an instant, Yahiko was by her side. "Tsubame?" he questioned. "What is it?"

"Oh...oh Kaoru!" Tsubame cried out as she handed the note to her husband. He took it and quickly scanned the contents.

In brief, hurried characters that looked as if they had been hastily painted by someone in a great rush, the note said,

_My dear Lady, _

_I greatly regret to inform you that Kamiya Kaoru was captured and taken from the palace last night. The Black Avenger has set sail, and I will bring her back to you. Do not worry. _

_ Battousai _

"Your bodyguard?" Yahiko questioned, and Tsubame nodded through eyes filling rapidly with tears.

"Oh, husband, she was so kind to me and took such good care of me. And she was injured herself and not fully recovered, and now this." Tsubame's voice quavered. "Who would want to harm her?"

Yahiko said nothing, but his thoughts flew to a scene three days ago.

_Battousai, demon of the skies, kneeling before the damiyo. Even in the proper position of respect, there was no mistaken the power and ability of the red-headed assassin. His small frame contained a chi that permeated the room, and Yahiko noticed that the guards were on particular alert, glowering at the assassin darkly. _

"_Well done, Himura the Battousai," Motonori Denjiro pronounced. "Such great actions shall not go unrewarded. Your men have received their bounty but their captain should be given double honor, for I will not have it said that Motonori Denjiro is ungenerous. Tell me, what is it you wish for your reward?"_

"_I wish to claim the bodyguard Kamiya Kaoru as my own," Battousai responded, raising his head and looking the damiyo in the face. Yahiko did not miss the glint of gold in his eye. _

_The damiyo gave a pleased chuckle, "Very well, you may have her if that please you." _

"_Thank you, my lord. It does please me," Battousai said quietly as he rose to his feet, taking his leave while the damiyo watched with a strange smile on his face. _

Pulling his mind back to the present, Yahiko rose smoothly to his feet. "I will go speak with Father about this," he said quietly. Touching his bride's pale cheek tenderly, he turned and left the room.

* * *

Motonori Denjiro was in a sitting room, shuffling idly through some papers with the air of a man who had indulged himself a little more than he intended to the night before and was taking the morning rather easy. Looking up, he smiled in pleasure as Yahiko bowed before him.

"Good morning, my son," he said fondly. "You are up a little early for a man so newly wed."

"Father, my bride just received some disturbing news," Yahiko responded, handing his father the note.

The damiyo took it and Yahiko watched, noting that his father barely glanced at it. "Yes, _The Black Avenger_ is no longer in port and I received word from Himura that he has gone to rescue his prize."

"Without seeking permission first?" Yahiko questioned in surprise. "That is rather unlike the Battousai."

"Yes it is," Denjiro crumpled the note up and tossed it aside carelessly. "But do not trouble yourself over the assassin. Tools can become...outdated, and one must embrace progress if it suits ones purpose."

"Father?" Yahiko's brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

The damiyo simply fussed with the papers before him for a few moments before saying, "It is such a lovely day. Why don't we venture into the garden?"

Yahiko said nothing but followed his father out into the late morning sun. The day was exceedingly fine, glorious in the spring sun, but Yahiko's mind was full of other thoughts. Neither men said anything for several minutes, and the damiyo seemed perfectly content with examining the meticulously kept garden and admiring the still-flowering cherry trees that constantly loosed their petals to the wind in an elegant shower of light pink.

Finally Denjiro broke the silence. "Battousai has been useful to us, quite useful, but he has grown powerful and with that power, dangerous. It has been decided that it is in the best interest of Aomori and our own purposes that Battousai...cease to be a potential threat. However, eliminating him has proven to be...a challenge," he finished smoothly.

Yahiko digested this news. It did not entirely surprise him, and as he pondered it for a moment, connections began forming together in his mind.

"Is that why the bodyguard Kamiya was kidnapped?" Yahiko questioned. "To draw Battousai away that he might be eliminated?"

"Yes," Denjiro reached out to stroke a cherry blossom with a calloused finger. "You saw how he looked when he asked for her as his prize. He will be very angry right now, and angry men make careless mistakes. Nevertheless, he is the Battousai, and precautions have been made. I will not underestimate him again."

"Again?" Yahiko repeated and looked at his father with dawning comprehension. "Father, Tsubame told me of an attack on _The Black Avenger _by a steel ship filled with mecs." Denjiro said nothing, merely examined the blossom in his hands. "Tsubame also said that she overheard the Battousai and her bodyguard speaking of this event. Kamiya did not see a reason for the attack and Battousai could give her no answer." Silence met his words, and Yahiko felt impatience and alarm build in him. "Father," he pressed. "Was that...an attempt at elimination?"

"Yes," the damiyo replied simply. "Battousai has many enemies and it was not difficult convincing some that that it was mutually beneficially if _The Black Avenger _and its captain were no longer operational. Although I must admit that Battousai surprised us all, no less the businessman who owned the attacker ship."

"_Father_," Yahiko said, in astonishment and rapidly growing anger. "_My wife_ was on that ship. She could have easily been killed."

"You are correct," the damiyo responded smoothly. "Her death would have been, regrettable, yet under present circumstances, it was a risk I was willing to take."

The blood was beginning to rush to Yahiko's ears and his fists were clenching at his side. "Father, was this entire kidnapping and marriage just a ruse to eliminate the Battousai?" he spat out tightly.

"It was a most fortuitous way to achieve several goals at once," the damiyo said coolly. "At the very least, I expected the Battousai to cease to become a threat. However, we have been most fortunate and have turned out admirably well. You have a lovely bride and I expect that Futaka Musashi will soon be sending envoys to seek our good favor. Battousai's strengths have been tested, and he will be met with a stronger force which will remove him as a potential threat. And, most fortunate of all, this will not be traced back to my hand. The gods have smiled most favorably upon us."

Yahiko fought for control, choking back the harsh words he longed to throw at his father. Despite the damiyo's often pleasant and generous manner, Yahiko knew that it hid a ruthless ambition that would trample anything in his way. Thinking of the agonies his young wife had endured, a helpless victim to his father's iron will, Yahiko's fingernails dug into his callused palm.

Looking as calm as if he and his son had just concluded a pleasant chat about flowers, the damiyo waved a hand and said, "Go now son," he said paternally. "Comfort your young bride who is no doubt worried about the loss of her friend. All is well and there is nothing you need to trouble yourself with."

"And the bodyguard Kamiya?" Yahiko questioned darkly.

His father shrugged his shoulders dismissively, "If she survives, when Battousai is eliminated, I will find a way to bring her back to your wife's side without casting suspicion on myself, if that will please you. Do not worry. Now, go," he smiled. "You are too lately wed to trouble yourself with such serious issues."

Yahiko bowed stiffly, then left to return to his wife with a heavy heart.

* * *

The propellers of the airship whined loudly, clamoring their protest as the still-damaged ship cut its way through the clouds. The three days of repair work at the dock had not been enough to fully reverse all the damage the vessel had sustained, but the captain of _The Black Avenger_ had no time to waste. When he had stormed into the hold in the middle of the night, bellowing for his sailors to rouse themselves, all hands had bolted alert and immediately scrambled to obey orders. Any protests they might have raised died instantly when they saw the deadly furious expression on Battousai's face. The ship had immediately exploded with a flurry of activity as the violent _chi_ emanating off their captain made it abundantly clear that if the ship was not up in the air at top speed instantly, every man-jack of them would be shorter by a head.

The vessel was still nursing its injuries and deserved several long weeks of repair before taking to the air again, but the captain ordered it to sail at full speed, and sail it did. Battousai stood at the helm, glowering quietly with an anger that was as tangible as the flame-red hair whipping about his furious golden eyes and with a hand gripping the side of the ship so tightly it seemed he was holding the ship aloft by sheer will. No pirate on board dared to be caught shirking, and every man rushed frantically about, bellowing at each other.

The assassin's eyes were narrowed to golden slits, trained ahead on the cloudless horizon in front of him.

_I do not give up what is mine. You who have taken my woman, know this: I will find you and the skies will rain with your blood when I do._

**Author's note: Annnnnddd, I will let you all know that for Lent this year, I am giving up fanfiction writing (sob, cry, whine, snivel), which sadly also includes mental plotting if I can avoid it. So, being the pernicious jerk that I am, I decided to leave this story on a cliffhanger and let you all suffer until Lent is over. Don't blame Catholicism – I'm Evangelical, but I started keeping Lent several years ago. I will miss you all and see you around Easter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Ahoy, me lovies! Lent is over and I have missed you all. Hopefully you have not forgot about Kaoru, Battousai, airships, and steampunk awesomeness! It's time for more RK characters to enter the fray, for Kaoru to spend at least a brief spell not being kidnapped, and for me to refurbish my declining fanfic skills that have become rusty with disuse over Lent. Read, review, and tell me how much you missed chapter updates! Or you can comment on other things, reviews of all kinds are much welcome. **

"You okay, Missy?" an unfamiliar male voice broke through the fog of Kaoru's mind as she struggled to drag herself to consciousness. Her head felt like it was encased in lead and her limbs were only grudgingly obeying her attempts to move them. A few minutes of struggle brought her body upright as she tried to clear her head and take stock of the situation.

_Wood, straw. Movement, a slight swaying of the room. Propellers whirling. Clanking sounds. Men yelling. _

_Am I on The Black Avenger? _

_Battousai. I will KILL you if you kidnapped me again. _

_No, _Kaoru shook her head. The noise of the propellers was deeper and louder than she remembered and, reaching out with her _chi _senses, she could establish no trace of the red-haired assassin. The Black Avenger had been permeated with the essence of her captain, and Kaoru knew for a fact that she was not on board Battousai's vessel. That realization brought momentary relief, then a strange disappointment quickly followed by alarm. Where was she?

Trying to command her bleary eyes to focus, Kaoru scanned her surroundings. She was inside a small prison cell, iron bars separating her from a tall, lanky fellow in the adjacent cell. He was slouched casually in a corner and watching her with friendly, concerned eyes under a mop of dark brown hair held off his eyes by a red bandanna.

"Don't try to get up too fast," he cautioned her as Kaoru tried to pull her feet underneath her. "They musta drugged you up with something strong and it'll take a while to wear off." Karou's legs seconded that advice and went on strike, currently too enamored with sitting on the ground to attempt standing. Abandoning efforts to pull herself upright, Kaoru instead looked at her companion.

A piece of straw twirled in his mouth as he spoke again. "Did they hurt you at all? You looked okay when they dragged you in, but, well, these guys aren't known for playing nice, especially with women." The last sentence ended with a low rumble.

"I'm...I'm fine," Kaoru responded.

"Good," the man grunted. "Name's Sagara Sanosuke, Missy, but you can call me Sano. I'd say 'Nice to meet you' but seeing as we're both in the brig, 'You don't happen to know how to pick a lock, do you?' might be a better greeting." He grinned at Kaoru and she felt a small trickle of reassurance ease some of the tension in her stomach. Whoever the man was, he seemed kind and there was a relaxed, almost cock-sure attitude of confidence about him that was strangely comforting and that indicated he would be a good ally.

"Sorry, I don't," Kaoru replied. "I'm Kamiya Kaoru, by the way." Some more strength came back to her legs, and she slowly pulled them into a cross-legged position. Brushing her hand across the fine silk of her hakama, she wondered briefly about how the fabric would stand up to a fight or bad weather. _I would have worn my old clothes if I knew I was going to be kidnapped. Again. _

Pushing that thought aside, she said, "So, um, how did you get yourself into this fix, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sano grinned, "Guess I picked the wrong guys to gamble with. They didn't like losing."

Kaoru stared at him narrowly. "You don't seem too upset about the situation," she remarked.

Sano crossed his legs and put his hands behind his head. "Let's just say there's some perks to being on this ship." The sound of footsteps approached and Sano's grin deepened. "And here's one of them right now."

A tall, lovely woman with a tapestry of shining black hair and elegant red lips swung gracefully into view. Her hands were full of medical supplies and she walked with a brisk, efficient stride. At her side was presumably a guard, a man more metal than human with both arms replaced by mechanical ones that hissed and clanked with every movement.

The guard unlocked Kaoru's cell door and the woman moved into the cell. "I'm Takani Megumi and I'm the doctor on the ship," she stated crisply. "I'm here to check you over." As she bent near Kaoru, the younger woman spotted what looked like a dried tear stain on her cheek and a fresh bruise which appeared on her wrist as she pushed back the sleeve of her garment.

Sano rose to his feet and strolled over to the bars. "She just woke up a few minutes ago and she seems to be doing okay but I think it's gonna take awhile for the drugs to wear off," he said loudly, then dropped his voice to a low whisper, _"Who gave you that bruise, Fox Lady?" _

"She's young and strong and will get over it," the doctor stated briskly as she cupped Kaoru's face in her hand and looked critically at her eyes.

"_Who did it?" _Sano repeated quietly, so softly that Kaoru could barely hear him.

"_None of your business," _the doctor breathed back, then opened her medical bag. To Kaoru, she said, "I'm going to give you something to drink so that you recover more quickly."

"_You shouldn't have to put up with this, doc," _Sano rumbled softly. Louder, he commented, "She's a little thin, make sure they feed her, okay?"

"_And what do you think you can do about it, Rooster Head? You're not exactly free yourself!" _Megumi hissed, then went to the corner of the room where a small pitcher of water and a cup stood. Pouring some water in the cup and mixing a powder into it, the doctor handed the cup to Kaoru.

Sano turned so that he was facing Megumi with his back to the guard. _"Don't be so sure about that, Fox Lady,"_ he said quietly, grinning that devilish smile. _"I'm getting off this thing and you're coming with me." _

"_No one can set me free,"_ the woman breathed angrily. "_Least of all you."_ The last statement was laced with bitterness. Megumi snatched up her medical supplies and stalked regally out of the cell, but Kaoru did not miss a small tear trembling in the corner of her lashes.

Sano watched her go, hands shoved in his pockets; the grin was still present on his face but there was a thoughtfulness to his eyes.

Kaoru peered at him. "Friend of yours?" she questioned.

Sano's grin deepened. "She likes me, she just hasn't admitted it yet."

"Hmph, well, I doubt she's in much of a position to pursue anything serious," Kaoru sniffed. "You saw that bruise on her wrist. I imagine she's probably just as much of a prisoner as we are."

"You're probably right about that," Sano admitted but the crooked smile didn't leave his face. "All the more reason for me to arrange a daring rescue and escape – what woman could resist something that romantic?"

"Sure," Kaoru drawled sarcastically. "So how's that escape plot coming along?"

"Still working on it, but don't worry." Sano lowered his long frame to the ground and settled comfortably in the corner of his cell. Tapping his head significantly, he said, "I'll come up with something."

Kaoru peered at the cup the doctor had given her and made a face. The surface of the liquid was clumpy with herbs and a strange odor reached her noise. Abandoning the cup, she decided to try her legs out to see if they felt like holding her body weight aloft. They did, for about five seconds. She hastily sat back down before she collapsed in an ungainly heap.

"Better drink it. It'll help. Doc knows her stuff," Sano drawled. Scowling, Kaoru sipped the liquid, discovering that it tasted a lot nicer than it looked.

"So how about you, how'd a little thing like you run afoul of Kanryu?" Sano questioned.

"Who?" Kaoru said.

"Takeda Kanryu, guy who owns this fine vessel we are currently guests of," Sano responded. "An industrialist who cranks out opium like candy, particularly a vicious little formula called 'Spider Web' that's been killing people right and left down on the ground."

Sano shifted and his tone became serious, "Fact is, one of my good friends died from Spider Web and I was trying to track down the source. Got tangled up with Kanryu's goons and found myself here. Actually, it's not too bad a turn of events; I've picked up some interesting bits of information from guards talking. But then again," he looked a trifle sheepish, "Not really sure what to do with all the info. I didn't realize at first that this thing's rotten to the core and there's hundreds, if not thousands of people involved. Opium's a serious business in Japan and once you get caught up in it, it's hard to get out."

Sano chewed the straw meditatively and then said, "So basically we figure a way out of here, grab the doc, and get the hell back to ground again. Sound good to you?"

"That works for me," Kaoru replied.

"But why's Kanryu after you?" Sano persisted. "That hakama and gi cost a pretty penny and I heard they took a good blade off of you. You the rich daughter of some damiyo that decided to turn ronin for awhile?" His last sentence was light with teasing, and it brought a small smile to Kaoru's lips.

"No, nothing like that." Briefly, she outlined her story to Sano, heavily editing out any mention of the few but troublingly exciting romantic collisions with Battousai and making it seem like their relationship was little more than captor and captive.

Sano whistled at the conclusion of her story. "Battousai! Man, I'm always up for a good fight but that Battousai's something else. The stories you hear about his exploits..." Sano shook his head in admiration, then cocked an eyebrow at Kaoru. "He treat you okay?" he questioned.

Kaoru was suddenly aware that her cheeks were steadily filling up with color and her nerves were beginning to wake up as the mention of the airship pirate's name conjured vividly recalled memories of her not-too-distant encounter with Battousai in a treacherously romantic garden. Clearing her throat, she snapped out, "As well as can be expected of some jerk assassin that thinks he can just pluck someone off the ship and carry her off to captivity..." She stopped at the knowing look in Sano's eyes.

"Well, if that's the case, we'll be out of here pretty soon," Sano drawled and closed his eyes, leaning back against the bars of his cell. "Battousai's not going to let someone take his woman away. Kanryu's gonna see his entire ship going down in flames around his ears before we know it."

"Hey, I never said I was Battousai's woman!" Kaoru protested, feeling exhaustion wash over her as the stress of her situation and the lingering effects of the drug began making their presence known.

Sano snorted, "Doesn't matter what you say, if Battousai's marked you as his, he'll be coming for you. Good. Serves Kanryu right."

Kaoru shook her head, trying to chase away the intoxicating desire to fall into a heap of unconsciousness. "I don't need that red-headed jerk to rescue me," she snapped, stifling a yawn.

"No, what you need is a nap," Sano rumbled. "Go to sleep, little missy. I'll keep an eye on things."

Kaoru wanted to protest, but Sano had a point. If she was going to fight, she needed her full strength. Reluctantly, she lowered herself to the not-too-clean straw and closed her eyes, letting sleep pull her into troubled dreams.


	11. Chapter 11

**Nanananananananananananana UPDATE! (How many of you remember the old Batman and Robin shows? They were terribly cheesy). Here is another chappie for you all. I am really having fun with this story, but please read and review so I am convinced to keep on writing it as opposed to doing other important things like laundry or dishes.  
**

Kaoru woke a few hours later stiff, hungry, and irritable, partly from captivity and partly from an unpleasant scent wafting from a bowl sitting in her cell. Wrinkling her nose, she pondered for a moment if not being hungry was worth the effort of swallowing whatever it was her captors had fed her.

"Chow's on if you're hungry," Sano said, noticing she was awake. "Although I don't know if you're starving enough to eat this slop. Man, I've had crappy food before but this takes the cake."

Kaoru carefully pulled herself upright and was pleased to see that her legs had regained their strength and were cooperating. Walking over to the bowl, she picked it up and made a face at the indistinguishable gray blobs floating drearily in a scummy liquid. Taking a reluctant sip, she gagged slightly and said, "Even I can cook better than this. Gross."

"Better choke it down if you can, you need something in your stomach," Sano advised. "Just make sure it stays down. I don't particularly want to see it again."

"I'm more worried about it getting down in the first place," Kaoru responded but managed to reluctantly down about half of the unpleasant concoction before the growing protests from her taste buds made her give up. She was idly pushing a soggy lump of something that might have once been a carrot in circles around the bowl when a clank and hiss of gears warned her someone was approaching. The same guard that had brought Megumi clumped into view and stood in front of Kaoru's cell.

"Mr. Takeda wants to talk with you. Come," he intoned in a flat voice.

"What for?" Kaoru stared at him levelly, noticing that Sano had risen and was leaning too casually against the bars of his cell, staring coolly at the guard.

"Yeah, what for? The big guy want to talk to someone, he can talk to me," Sano drawled calmly but there was a rumble of threat in his voice.

The guard's face did not move but merely stared at Kaoru impassively. One eye was covered with a complicated metal and glass contraption that significantly magnified the orb so that Kaoru could see the veins running across the sclera and the milky cornea fixed on her.

"Fine then, let's see what he wants," Kaoru said and rose to her feet.

"Kaoru," Sano warned, gripping the bars of his cell. "Don't..."

"Sano, I've been kidnapped twice and shot at it and attacked by mecs and survived a shipwreck. I think I can handle a little conversation." Brushing the straw off her clothes, she stuck her chin up and marched out of the cell, grateful the drugs had worn off and she could walk fluidly again.

The guard escorted Kaoru out of the brig, and she was quickly astounded to realize just how vast and modern this airship was. Sleek with steel instead of wood, manned by numerous crew members, and crammed with European weaponry and equipment, it was completely unlike _The Black Avenger. _Mecs clumped heavily through the ship, filling the air with their metallic tread and setting Kaoru's nerves on edge every time she saw one. Sailors heavily armed with body modification creaked and thumped their way across the ship, cruel-looking mechanical limbs and hissing gears making them almost as intimidating as the mecs. A small army of young, nervous-looking boys scurried here and there, carrying out tasks with frantic quickness.

As Kaoru and her escort wound their way through passages and decks, Kaoru kept discretely scanning every area she passed through, seeking out hiding places, weighing escape options, noting where supplies were hidden. The ship was so vast that Kaoru was fairly confident she and Sano could find enough hiding places to go undetected for awhile. The problem was getting them both free from their cell and finding their way back to the ground. Escaping from their cells would do little good if they couldn't figure a way off the ship and back to _terra firma_ safely.

Eventually the guard led Kaoru to an area of the ship that was more elegantly appointed, and Kaoru surmised that they were reaching their destination. An ornate door opened to a stretch of soft carpeting, richly colored tapestries and European-style furniture softly illuminated by gas lighting. However, Kaoru kept her eyes firmly trained on the tall, thin man leaning casually against a high-backed chair behind a polished wood desk.

"Ah, Ms. Kamiya, good of you to accept my invitation," the man stated grandly. Waving his hand at a small chair in front of the desk, he said, "Please sit down."

Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Glaring at him, she snapped out, "What do you want and how do you know my name?"

"My my, such spirit," the man crooned, an unpleasant smile pulling his lips away to reveal sharp-looking teeth. "But then again, I would expect no less of Battousai's woman."

"I'm not..." Kaoru started, then paused. "So what if I am? What's the point of all this?"

"The point, my dear Ms. Kamiya and, oh yes, I do know your name. My spies are faultless as usual and have gleaned much interesting information about you. The point is that you are Battousai's woman and Battousai has been rather disruptive to my business. I simply cannot have him and _The Black Avenger_ roaming the skies when I am trying to run a very lucrative and profitable business."

"Like selling Spider Web?" Kaoru said darkly. "I hardly think killing your clients off with a dangerous drug is the most logical of business strategies, _Kanryu_."

"Oh my, I see our gambling prisoner has been rather chatty," Kanryu chuckled. "Oh well, never mind the idiot rooster. And yes, Spider Web may cause the unfortunate demise of some fool who takes too much of it, but it does fill my vault with coin in a most satisfactory manner." He steepled his fingers together and perched his chin on the tips of them, leering at Kaoru. Kaoru's hand twitched, screaming that a good slapping was in order.

Ignoring the urge to knock a few teeth down his throat, Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "So I suppose I'm bait then?"

"Precisely," Kanryu responded smoothly. "You see, Battousai made it quite clear to me a few weeks ago that taking him lightly would be a fatal endeavor. Having heard endless tales of his exploits, I had determined that it was..ah..._prudent_ to engage him in some, shall we say _preliminary negotiations_ before committing to this particular venture."

"That was you, then," Kaoru stated flatly. "I see."

"As a businessman, I know when to take risks and when to be cautious. As it happened, caution is always advised when the Battousai is concerned. Just as well for I lost a fair amount of mecs and sustained heavy damage to one of my best vessels in attempting to test Battousai's mettle."

"So that's why..." Kaoru trailed off, thinking hard. Pieces were beginning to fall into place. "It was all a test, then."

"With unexpected yet useful outcomes," Kanryu nodded. "As much as I regret the financial loss, it was nevertheless not a wasted venture," the man continued in a pleasant tone as if he and Kaoru were discussing the weather. "I realized that bringing Battousai down would require much more planning and firepower than I had originally bargained for. And I also discovered something quite interesting," his twisted smile deepened. "I heard report of a young woman on board the ship, one that fought alongside Battousai. A few of my spies dispatched to the right places lead me to Aomori and confirmed what I suspected: Battousai the Manslayer, a man in love," Kanryu's mocking tones danced up and down the scale in a sing-song. "Who would have suspected him capable of it? He will be coming for you and this time we will be ready for him."

"Yes, he will be coming for me," Kaoru pronounced coldly. "But you're not ready for him. Not by a long shot." Spinning on her heel, she marched away from the desk, shouting out, "Guard! I want to return to my cell now."

"Yes, by all means, rest up and wait for your lover to retrieve you, Ms. Kamiya. We'll find another one for you when this one is dead," Kanryu indulged in an evil chuckle. "They are plenty of places where men are most happy to meet a lovely young woman like you, and you should fetch a pretty penny once _The Black Avenger_ is destroyed."

Kaoru stopped and shot back a look of pure hate at the snide face staring at her. "You made the mistake of underestimating Battousai once, Kanryu. I wouldn't do it again. And also," she paused with one hand on the door. "I wouldn't underestimate me either." Pulling the door shut, she thundered into the hallway, the guard clumping along a pace or two behind.

* * *

Sano was alert and watchful when Kaoru returned, and he scanned her over carefully as the guard unlocked the cell and let Kaoru in. As soon as he was gone, Sano said worriedly, "You okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Kaoru shook her head. "He just wanted to gloat and preen for awhile but I didn't feel like dealing with it, so I left. Jerk."

Sano shook his head in wonder, "I see why Battousai likes you, little Missy. You got spirit, I gotta hand it to you." Then his smile faded and his voice became serious. "I gotta get you outta here, and Doc too. Every time I see her, she's got a fresh bruise and she looks like she's been crying."

"I know, I don't just want to stick around and hope that Ken..._Battousai_ rescues us," Kaoru sighed. Impatiently, she kicked a clump of straw and began pacing around in the cell. "We've got to figure out some way out of here. _Think_, Sano. What could we do?"

But several hours of intense thinking on both of their parts brought up absolutely nothing workable, and Kaoru was growing more and more frustrated with the entire situation. Sano was starting to yawn but Kaoru was too keyed-up to sleep even though she knew nighttime was approaching. Flopping in an ungainly huff on the floor, she idly began stabbing a piece of straw against her arm when she happened to glance at the hinge of her cell door and stopped.

"Wait a minute..." she said and stood up to examine it closely. "Hey Sano, look at this!"

"What?" Sano said.

"This door – the hinges aren't fixed. The door just has bars that set into slots, and it doesn't seem like anything is locking them into place. I wonder if we could lift it out."

"I'll be darned," Sano took a closer look, then moved over to examine his door. "That's weird, this one has a different hinge to it." He gave the door a shake, then abandoned it. "It's not moving, so let's see if we can get yours to open."

Snaking his arms through the bars of the cell. Sano reached around and grabbed Kaoru's door. Most fortuitously, the hinged side was nearer to Sano's cell and he was close enough to find handholds. However, his arms were significantly hampered by the bars between him and the door, and he could not maneuver himself into a good position for lifting. Kaoru had a better angle but much less muscle power. Simply lifting it straight up would have been fairly easy for the two of them, but the heavy door was locked on one side which severely hindered their escape attempt. Nevertheless after several minutes of intense tugging, pulling, and lifting, they managed to move a corner of the door far enough out for Kaoru to wiggle through it. She nearly got stuck halfway through and put a small tear in her hakama but eventually was standing on the other side of the door, thrilled to be free.

"Great! I'm going to go scout around for a bit to see if I can find anything," Kaoru laughed, feeling relief well up in her.

"Hold it, Missy!" Sano said. "Look, it's great we got you out but we need a plan. You go scampering off, they'll realize it eventually and come looking for you."

"And just lock me back in here," Kaoru pointed out practically.

"No, they'll make sure you don't escape again," Sano cautioned. "This is probably a one-shot deal, understand?"

"I won't get caught, Sano," Kaoru reassured him. "I'm just going to take a quick look, then you can help me get back in."

"Okay," Sano grumbled reluctantly. "But make it fast. The guards check every couple hours to see what we're up to and they'll raise hell if they find out you're gone."

"Don't worry," Kaoru reassured him. "I'll be back." Listening cautiously at the door of the brig, Kaoru determined that the coast was clear and slipped into the hall, thanking the _kami_ for her recent trip to Kanryu. It had given her a general idea of what lay beyond the brig and a somewhat informed sense of what and where to avoid.

Outside the brig was a cavernous stretch of room dimly lit by gas lighting and full of machinery, boxes, piles of rope, and canvas-draped objects that were large and impressive-looking under their cloth wrappings. Ship boys and sailors moved to and fro, and although night had approached, it was clear that the ship never slept. Luckily there were plenty of hiding spaces for someone as small as Kaoru. Ducking and weaving, she was picking her way across the room where a waft of soap drifted across her nostrils.

Smiling as an idea presented itself, Kaoru cautiously followed the smell and soon discovered that her hunch was correct: outside the massive room was the laundry facilities still hot and steamy although there was no one present. Piles of dirty and clean laundry nearly reached the ceiling and massive washing tubs and unfamiliar machines littered the space. In a moment, Kaoru found what she wanted and disappeared back into the room she had just left to find a hiding spot.

A few minutes later, Kaoru gathered her courage and marched boldly out from behind a gigantic box. Dressed in loose pants and a tunic with her long hair swept up under a hat and a cloth sack carrying her old clothes slung over her shoulder, Kaoru hoped fervently that she looked like one of the many ship boys scurrying around. For the first time in her life, she was extremely thankful for her small stature and even smaller breasts: it was hard to mistake her as a boy at a glance. Kaoru tried to channel some of her worry about being caught into her movements and adopt the same busy, anxious expression she had seen the boys wear. Keeping her head down, she gathered up her courage and hurried forward, right in the path of a sailor. He was stomping towards her, his metal leg hitting the floor with a bone-rattling shudder. Biting her lip, Kaoru kept her eye fixed on the door in front of her and forced herself to be calm. She passed the sailor, cogitating frantically about what she would do if she heard the cry of "Hey, you there!" but there was no sound but the thump of a metal leg and the softer fall of a human foot stomping away from her. Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding it, Kaoru felt a small tremor of relief fall over her. _Stay strong_, she warned herself. _And don't screw this up. _

After she had passed several more crew members without incident, Kaoru was beginning to relax a trifle. So far her disguise was working and no one she passed had even registered her presence; however, she had yet to see anything that presented itself as a reasonable escape route or otherwise useful option for her and Sano. Not willing to wander too terribly far less she lose her way and not be able to get back to Sano, thus exposing her escape, Kaoru was picking her way across a room filled with loud, thumping machines when she nearly blundered straight into the arms of Kanryu himself. He was leading a small knot of men and was giving orders. Only very fast reflexes and a quick dash behind a convenient machine prevented Kaoru's detection.

Crouched behind the machine, heart pounding in her chest, Kaoru heard Kanryu's voice over the whirring of the machines. "I want every gauge double-checked. We're still not functioning with peak efficiency and we are two days behind schedule, not to mention that Battousai will likely be visiting us in the near future." The men passed so close to Kaoru that she could have reached out and punched Kanryu, and the thought crossed her mind to do so. But she refrained and contented herself with trying to make her body as small and invisible as possible. Kanryu's voice set her nerves on edge. "And please don't give me the same tiresome excuse that the gauge meters are faulty – they were replaced last time we were in port and..." Kanryu and his entourage stepped away and their voices became lost in the whirling thump of the machinery around them.

Kaoru blew out a shaky breath, feeling adrenaline coursing in her veins. _That was a close one_, she thought. _Pay a little more attention next time, idiot, _she admonished herself, vowing to do so immediately.

Then a hand suddenly clasped itself across Kaoru's mouth as another one seized her neck and pulled her backwards.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: In thinking about it, I realized I left a bit of a plothole in the last chapter, so I modified some of Kaoru's and Kanryu's conversation and reposted the chapter. And, just so you all know, this is probably going to be a loooooonnng fanfic story. I have a lot more stuff I am just itching to get down, so more chapters are percolating away. And on that note, YOU GUYS ROCK! 100 reviews and counting! That is the most I have gotten on a story so far – keep 'em coming! Hugs and sparkly happy squeals to all!**

As the strange hands suddenly grabbed Karou, she lashed out blindly, striking at whatever bit of flesh she could connect with. But as she fought back, a sharp voice hissed in her ears, "I'm a friend! It's okay!" The hands loosened, setting Kaoru free; she jerked back and twisted around to stare at her assailant. It was a young teenage girl even smaller than Kaoru with a thick rope of braided black hair and a strange outfit which left her knees bare. A brace of knives was tucked in her belt, and she had a determined, competent air about her diminutive frame. Leaning closer, she spoke over the clattering thump of the machine they both were crouched behind.

"There's a lot of sailors around here and they're going to start swarming the entire place. This is a bad spot. Follow me, and I'll take you somewhere safer." Turning, she slipped away, beckoning Kaoru to follow.

Kaoru paused, weighing her options. The girl had obviously seen through Kaoru's disguise and clearly knew her way around the ship. Her mannerisms even indicated that she had a general idea of who Kaoru was. The girl could very well lead Kaoru into a trap or she could help her avoid a tight spot; it was hard to tell. Not exactly trusting the girl but beginning to realize that her list of options was becoming exceedingly short, Kaoru cautiously fell in place behind the girl as she followed her lead, moving carefully through the murky light and pounding equipment.

The two young women ducked and wove their way across the room on high alert as more voices and the sound of footfalls make it clear that the room was filling with sailors at an alarming rate. The girl was as agile as a snake and effortlessly slipped across the floor so quickly that Karou almost lost her a few times, but soon they had worked their way to the edge of the room. The girl lifted up a small grate on the wall and motioned to Kaoru, hissing, "Follow me and shut the door behind you," as she disappeared into a dark vent.

Kaoru reluctantly slid in after her. The vent was quite narrow and Kaoru was bigger than the girl in front of her, so she had a little difficulty pulling the grate back in place after she had entered the vent. Inside was completely dark and noisy with the sound of machines and men outside the walls echoing inside the vent. It was also choked with dust, filmy with cobwebs, and Kaoru felt something small and furry brush past her hand. Suppressing the urge to scream, she swallowed a tremor of disgust and flopped down on her belly to crawl forward. However, she quickly realized that it was too difficult to drag her bag of clothing with her, so she left it behind her in the vent with only a slight pang of regret for abandoning the lovely hakama and gi. Safety and getting out alive were currently a much higher priority than vanity.

The girl moved through the vent almost soundless and a few times Kaoru accidentally bumped into her when she lost track of how far ahead her companion was. Luckily there was enough noise from the surrounding rooms that neither teenager was worried about being overheard as they moved through the vent. Although it seemed like a century of time passed while they slid their way forward, in reality it was only a few minutes before the girl pushed aside another grate and a wan light shone into the dark vent.

The girl disappeared and Kaoru followed after her, sliding out of the vent onto the wooden floor of another room. It was dark except for a small oil lamp fixed on the wall and littered with broken pieces of wood, old ropes and other random items, the dusty contents of the room indicating how little it was used. The room was obviously near working machinery because the floor vibrated slightly with the sound of heavy engines working overtime; the noise was strong but not so loud to prevent normal conversation.

Dusty and with bits of cobwebs sticking to her braid, the girl stood with her hands on her hips and whistled softly, "Whew! I always forget how much I hate rats until I get into a vent and feel them running across me!" She gave Kaoru a big smile, "Sorry about that, but vents are the best way to get around this ship undetected. This room's a good spot to hide; no one comes in here much and it's loud enough that we can talk without being overheard."

"Thanks for helping me back there," Kaoru said slowly, eying her new companion cautiously. She was tiny, a thin whip of a girl with an animated expression and a confident, almost brash attitude that belied her diminutive frame.

Whipping her long braid back and forth to knock out a few spiders, the girl rattled out, "I'm Makimachi Misao, by the way."

"Kamiya Kaoru," Kaoru responded. Peering closely at Misao, she said carefully, "Back in that engine room you acted like you knew who I was."

"'Course I do, I've been a spy on this ship for the past two weeks," Misao responded cheerfully. "I saw them bring you in and I overheard you and Kanryu talking earlier today." She grinned widely at Kaoru. "Darn handy, these vents are. Kanryu has several of them around his office and I've heard a _lot_ of things he probably doesn't want me knowing."

"Who are you, then?" Kaoru questioned. "Don't tell me you just like sneaking on board airships for kicks and giggles."

"Close but no _sake_," Misao giggled. "I'm a ninja. Sneaking around finding out interesting information is what I do. You hungry?" She picked up a sack and pulled out an apple. Kaoru took it gratefully. Dinner had been a few hours away and a poor one at best. The apple disappeared quickly, and Misao took out a few rice balls to share.

Biting into a rice ball, Kaoru thought a moment, then said, "So you're a spy. What exactly are you spying out here?"

"I'm a member of the Oniwaban," Misao replied around a mouthful of rice. "We've been tracking the sale of Spider Web for months and finally narrowed in on the source." She swallowed and a sad, angry expression stormed across her face. "Spider Web has been killing people right and left and once we realized Kanryu was behind it all, we found a lot more shady ventures this guy is controlling. Arms dealing, smuggling, prostitution rings, you name it, he's got his dirty fingers in it. He's a rotten snake and it's time for him to go down."

"Couldn't agree with you more," Kaoru nodded in agreement. "What's the plan?"

"I snuck on broad two weeks ago to scout out the area and get the lay of the land. When the assault happens, we'll have a main attacking ship and several auxiliary gliders to target the weak areas. During the fight, I've got to contact the fighters and lead them to the vulnerable areas of the ship."

"The Oniwaban sent you by yourself?" Kaoru asked in astonishment. "Why didn't you have backup? Wouldn't it have been more effective to have several spies on the ship?"

"It would have been except for Lord Aoshi and the others," Misao said and her look softened.

"Who?" Kaoru questioned.

"Lord Aoshi, the Okashira of the Oniwaban," a girlish grin spread across her face, "and Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo. They're all Oniwaban and they're on board," the smile faded, "working for Kanryu. If we had more than one Oniwaban member as a spy on board the ship, Aoshi and the others would know. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that they don't know I'm here or at least have a vague sense of it. There's been a lot of close calls. They're ninjas too, in fact, they trained me." She smiled wryly, "It's kind hard getting one up on your teachers, you know. If they ever caught me, they'd probably yell at me for sneaking on board, then yell at me for getting caught."

"Why are they working for Kanryu?" Kaoru wrinkled her brow.

"I don't know," Misao sighed. She flopped down on the floor and crossed her legs. "I don't understand it myself. Lord Aoshi was always there for me, always a part of the Oniwaban. He became Okashira at age 15, that's how good he is. But then one day he and the others left and next thing we heard, they were working for that corrupt bastard Kanryu." Making a fist, Misao pounded her hand on her thigh. "Which means that Kanryu has only gotten stronger. But," she brightened, "when we attack, Lord Aoshi and the others are sure to join us. They won't turn against their comrades."

Carefully, Kaoru asked, "Are you certain?"

"Positive!" Misao leaped to her feet, her eyes shining. "Lord Aoshi would never abandon the Oniwaban! With Aoshi and Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo, we're sure to pound that idiot Kanryu into the ground!"

Kaoru smiled, "It sounds like you have a lot of respect for Lord Aoshi."

Misao's face could barely contain her grin, "Lord Aoshi is wonderful! He took care of me when I was a kid and he's the best fighter ever. No one could defeat him! He's so smart and strong and he's the best leader the Oniwaban ever had." Flush with enthusiasm, Misao flopped back down again, then bolted impatiently to her feet, too keyed up to stay still.

Kaoru watched her antics with amusement. _Whoever this Aoshi is, he's going to have his hands full if Misao has her way,_ she thought to herself. The teen was clearly infatuated with the man and for her sake, Kaoru fervently hoped that Misao was right about where Aoshi's loyalties lay. _For all our sakes_, she added.

Misao stopped her capering to fix a wicked eye on Kaoru. "Lord Aoshi could even take on the Battousai and win," she bragged, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

Kaoru colored a bit at the sound of that name, "I wouldn't be so sure about that..." she began but Misao pounced on her.

"I knew it, I knew it, you _are_ Battousai's woman," Misao yelped in glee, grabbing Kaoru around the shoulders and jerking her around playfully. "I heard you and Kanryu talking. Oh this is just perfect, we're going to need all the firepower we can get!" she squealed. "The Oniwaban, for all the training we do, is better on the ground than in the air, so Battousai would be really helpful when the attack hits."

"And when's that?" Kaoru questioned.

"In about five hours," Misao responded, suddenly serious. "Tonight's the night."

"Five hours!" Kaoru squeaked. Pushing up to her feet, she said, "I've got to get back to Sano and set him free."

Misao pulled her back down. "No, this is perfect," she stated. "They find out you're missing, they'll start tearing apart the ship looking for you and everyone will be distracted. The ship will be in an uproar, and they won't be prepared for an attack."

Kaoru shook her head, "Kanryu's expecting Kens..._Battousai_ to attack at anytime. They'll be on the alert for him."

"They'll be on alert for _The Black Avenger,_" Misao insisted. "Not some ratty merchant ship. Believe me, this will be more of a surprise than you think."

Not convinced and determined to get to Sano, Kaoru shook off Misao's hand and stood to her feet when suddenly an explosion rocked the ship, filling the air with a deafening crash.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: Some of you have been asking "WHERE'S KENSHIN?" Here he is, and he is really, really honked off right now. Kaorugumi kick some major tushie and lots of bloodshed happens in this chapter. I also realized in writing it that the timing in the last two chapters is not quite right: this fight scene happens right at sunset, whereas the last two chapters had the time frame somewhat later in the evening, meaning I probably need to go back and tweak a few things to get the timing to be consistent. And I'm sure there are other plotholes and problems to be fixed – thanks all of you who respectfully point them out and act as awesome proofreaders/editors. You guys are the best – thanks for all the reviews!**

Battousai, demon of the skies, was gripping his katana so tightly that the skin stretched tautly across his hard knuckles was dead white under the calluses. He could feel the rank fear emanating from his men as they milled helplessly around the whining propeller which was giving off black clouds of dense, oily smoke. The ship moved blearily though the sky, nursing its not-quite-healed injuries and trudging forward with the exhaustion clearly mirrored in the pirates who were manning it. They were staggering drunk with fatigue for their captain had driven them mercilessly, his murderous _ki_ filling the ship to the brim and his blazing eyes constantly alert for the slightest hint of slacking. The ship had run a reckless pace, driven forward by the sheer will of its master, but like the men, it was beginning to show the damages of overuse. A propeller had finally given up the battle and now stood with its blades stilled, angrily pumping out smoke in protest.

Battousai glared fiercely at the recalcitrant mechanism, and many of his men wondered privately that the damned thing didn't cower under those blazing golden orbs and obediently start working again, so furious was their captain's expression. Instead, they kept their own eyes studiously cast downward and hunted frantically about for something useful to do less they be caught motionless for one fatal second.

"Fix it. _Now._" Battousai rumbled with the warning crash of an oncoming avalanche. Through the narrow red haze of his vision, he saw his first mate clench his jaw and step forward. Furiously, Battousai cast his blazing eyes at him. The man was pale with fear but sheer exhaustion had moved him to a plane of existence where reality began to blur and courage came out of unexpected places. Quietly and with the resigned look of a man going to his death, he said, "Captain, a word with you?"

With a curt jerk of his head, Battousai spun fluidly around and moved swiftly to his cabin, his first mate falling in place behind him with a fatalistic bearing to his steps. The small room was still permeated with the essence of _her_: Battousai could smell the faint jasmine scent of her skin coming from a folded-up blanket in the corner and it made the anger coiled up inside him burn even brighter. _My woman has been taken from me. I do not give up what is mine. _Someone had her. Someone, and many others, were going to die very soon. Painfully.

The first mate closed the door behind him and with a detached but determined expression pulled himself upright. Battousai's fingers had not loosened their death grip on his sword hilt. "Well?" he snarled.

"Captain," the man's voice was almost gentle with fatigue. "The ship...she can't do anything more, sir, not like we've been driving her. We keep going like this and more things are going to fail...The men...they're failing too, sir." He sucked in a breath. "We want to get to the lady as soon as we can too, the men, they all admire her courage. She fought with us sir, and we won't forget that. We're not giving her up. But sir, if we drive the men and ship into the ground getting to her, we won't be any damned good once we do. With exhausted men and a crippled ship, we can't take on the enemy, not like we should. Getting to her is just half the battle, sir, we've also got to fight once we get there."

Battousai's nails dug into his palms so hard that only his calluses prevented them from drawing blood. His insides were screaming in impotence, and he half felt that if he stepped off the ship, he would fly to Kaoru, born up on the strength of his own will. He would have torn his own ship to shreds and slaughtered every last man aboard if it would put his enemy in his sights. But his first mate's logic pounded on him like the blows of a hammer. The man was right. They could not continue at this pace. Flesh and blood and wood could not counter-step the confines of gravity and damage.

Burning with sheer rage at the situation, Battousai smothered back his overwhelming urge to strangle his first mate with his bare hands. In a voice just barely controlled, he said, "Tell the men to eat and rest. Tell the pilot to drop speed. And..." he warned darkly, "tell them to go below. My sword will not take responsibility for where it flies tonight."

The first mate nodded. A little color returned to his cheek as he realized the famous katana of the demon of Kyoto was still sheathed and his own head was still attached to his neck. Turning to go, he blurted out, "The lady is strong and brave, sir. You saw her fight the mecs. She'll be alright and we'll get to her."

Battousai said nothing but internally he raged _If I have to carve a bloody trail across Japan, I __will__ find her and kill the ones who took her from me. _As the first mate's footsteps moved away from the cabin door, Battousai heard the quick footfalls of many feet disappearing into the underbelly of the ship with rapid alacrity. He waited a few minutes, then stepped out of the cabin, his own feet beating out a deadly rhythm on the wooden floor. The deck was deserted except for the very nervous-looking pilot who studiously avoided his captain's eyes and clung to the wheel as if his life depended upon it. Battousai ignored him and unsheathed his sword. Channeling his rage into practice, his sword sliced murderously through the air with blinding speed as the demon of the skies vented his rage in kata.

* * *

Misao and Kaoru staggered as the explosion shuddered the floor under their feet. Kaoru's heart leaped. _Kenshin!_

"Dammit, don't tell me Gramps had the Oniwaban attack early!" Misao yelled. "Come on! We gotta figure out what's happening!" Throwing back the door, Misao galloped into the hallway with Kaoru hot on her trail. The bowels of the ship was swarming with fast-moving sailors and mecs, and no one noticed the two young women as they threaded their way through the teeming hallways and rooms. A second impact shook the ship and an alarm began wailing, throwing the sailors into a frenzy of movement.

In the frantic rush of activity and the chaos of the attack, Kaoru drew in on her _ki_ senses, trying to get a lock on the situation. Instinctively, she knew that it was not _The Black Avenger_ that was attacking Kanryu's ship, and her heart sank a little at that knowledge. But Misao's bright, determined eyes gave her courage, and Kaoru followed her, wishing fervently that her father's katana was at her side.

Pushing and shoving their way through the crowd, Kaoru and Misao finally reached the top deck to find a battlefield waiting for them. It was full sunset and the brilliant sun was eye-watering, but Kaoru could make out the outline of an airship positioned directly in front of the setting sun, using its blinding light as an advantage. High-pitched hums droned a warning, and Kaoru snaked her head around to see small, agile machines racing about Kanryu's ship, dropping incendiaries that exploded into clusterbombs and sent shrapnel cutting through everything in their path. Sailors on deck aimed their western weapons at the machines, but they ducked and wove too quickly to be tracked.

Until one shot found its mark, exploding the glider into pieces and sending it falling to the waiting ground below. "Shit!" Misao swore. "I gotta get to the gliders NOW!"

Giving Kaoru a shove, Misao bellowed, "Go get that rooster-headed idiot! We need all the muscle power we can get!"

Kaoru whipped around and raced back into the ship, heart pounding in her chest and breath catching ragged in her lungs. Her hat fell off her head as she ran, letting her ebony hair stream behind her. One or two voices called out, "Hey you, stop!" and a hand roughly seized her shoulder, but a well-placed elbow to a vulnerable pair of ribs sent the assailant staggering backwards. Pushing and leaping, Kaoru tore through the ship towards the brig.

Something warned her as she reached the door, and Kaoru slowed her feet down, gathering herself inward. Pausing before the partially opened door, she heard a hard voice state heavily, "I'll say it one more time, _where is she_?"

"Don't know who you're talking about," a lazy voice drawled. Recognizing Sano's voice and surmising that the first voice was the guard, Kaoru cast her eyes about for a weapon. Most fortuitously, a broken-off table leg lay just beyond the door. She seized it and slipped noiselessly through the door.

"I do not have time for these games. Tell me where she is or..." the guard began, then his face slackened and he fell to an ungraceful heap on the floor, metal limbs clattering.

"Whew! Good work there, Missy!" Sano said admiringly as Kaoru set down her table leg weapon and ransacked the guard's pockets for his keys. In a moment, she had Sano's door open. He stepped through and took the keys from her.

"Here. Totally forgot about this until you were gone but your sword's in this chest here." He moved to a heavily locked chest and tried a few keys until one fit and the lock snapped open. "They put it here when they brought you in here. It wasn't until you left that I remembered it. Felt like a total idiot to have forgotten it, you probably could have used it." Rather sheepishly, he handed her the katana.

Kaoru had never been so happy to feel metal in her hand again and only wished that she had her hakama to slid the _saya_ into because the loose clothing around her slender frame was beltless. But she spied a rough leather belt in the chest and wrapped it around her small waist. It was too big to buckle but she tied a knot in it and pushed the katana through the belt, her fingers trembling with haste and adrenaline.

The noise topside was growing steadily louder and two more explosions shuddered the ship. Sano tossed back his messy bangs, a gleam of interest in his eyes. "Sounds like a party up there. I've never been one to pass up a good fight so shall we?" Suddenly, the keen look was replaced with slight worry. "Listen Missy, it's rough up there, maybe you'd better..." he trailed off, eyes going from Kaoru's hand clenched confidently around her katana's handle to the unconscious guard sprawled out on the floor. "Oh, forget it," he muttered. "Just...just don't get yourself killed, okay? Battousai'll have my head if I let you die on me."

"Don't worry, we got friends up there," Kaoru pulled her back straight. "Let's go."

"Right," Sano agreed and they both charged out of the room. Sano's long legs could take one stride for every three of Kaoru's, but he slowed his pace to let her keep up. The belly of the ship was as busy as an anthill, and Kaoru and Sano pushed and shoved against an endless parade of people and a deafening clamor of noise.

As the two raced through a room filled with whirling machines, a cry rang out "Hey! The prisoners! Stop them!" Sailors dropped what they were doing, converging on the two, surrounding them and blocking them in.

Kaoru drew her sword, knowing that she and Sano were going to have to cut their way out. She had never killed before and had hoped she would never have cause to do so, but there was a wall of sailors between her and the way out and they seemed determined to stop her and Sano.

Sano lashed out, fists flying with a blur of speed as a handful of sailors rushed him at once. Two advanced towards Kaoru, swords drawn and eyes gleaming. They saw only a small young woman holding a sword as if she knew how to use it. Easy prey.

Most unluckily for the sailors, they were quite wrong. One arm went flying across the room, splattering Kaoru's face with blood as she whirled around and met the other one whose eyes showed brief astonishment, then anger. His blade whipped out, lashing at hers, deadly and serious. But he was slower than the maelstrom of black hair and flashing eyes and within seconds he was down in a rain of blood as Kaoru surged forward, slicing at anything in her path. Sano's fists and Kaoru's deadly blade quickly cleared a path through the room and in a minute or two they had fought their way to the edge of the room, the survivors losing interest in going after them, and they quickly lost themselves in the thronging crowds packing the hallways.

After a few long minutes of running, leaping over obstacles, and pushing people out of the way, Kaoru and Sano panted their way onto the deck. Mecs and sailors were everywhere, armed with heavy weapons and blasting away at anything that moved. People dressed in outfits similar to Misao's were swarming the decks, engaging Kanryu's men in ferocious battles. However, Kaoru could tell in a heartbeat that the attack was going badly, very badly. Misao's compatriots were heavily outnumbered, and more of Kanryu's men and mecs were marching up from the deck.

However, Kaoru had little time to sum up the battlefield as a sailor heavily festooned with body modification lumbered his way towards her and two more thundered towards Sano. Leaping out of the way, Kaoru raised her sword and instinctively skewered him through the armpit, stabbing him deeply in the unprotected area and yanking the sword free with one fluid movement as she raced forward to meet the next assailant.

Dodging and slicing her way across the deck which was already becoming slippery with blood, Kaoru fought her way forward only to nearly run into a tall young man with a heavy fringe of black bangs hanging above cold, calculating eyes. He stood silent, his face unreadable as he surveyed the chaos on deck. Behind him were four of the oddest men Kaoru had ever seen in her life: a masked figure, one with muscles so developed they looked unreal, a small fellow with an evil grin, and an absolutely enormous giant of a man. The four men stood silent behind the tall one as if carved in stone.

The man's expressionless eyes swept Kaoru as she instinctively pulled her sword into position, preparing for an attack, for the man was armed with a very long sheathed sword. But her merely looked at her coldly. "Kamiya Kaoru," he stated flatly.

As Kaoru gritted her teeth and stared back at the man angrily, a small, slim figure suddenly jumped down and landed lightly between Kaoru and the man. "Aoshi!" she bellowed out in a surprisingly loud voice for someone so small. Planting her hands on her hips, Misao glared at him, the gushing expression she had worn when talking about him early completely absent.

The man's face twitched and his eyes opened wider. "_Misao_," he said. One of his hands moved, lifting slightly, but then clenched into a fist and fell back to his side. "I thought..." he began, then stopped.

"Aoshi, is _this_ what being Okashira of the Oniwaban means to you?" Misao bellowed over the roar of battle. "We're getting slaughtered out there!" The ship reverberated as another impact slammed into it. With a heart-rendering snap, something large and heavy broke loose from a mast and fell heavily towards the deck, right over the ninja girl.

Aoshi moved in a blur, scooping Misao up and shielding her as the falling machinery crashed onto the deck and broke into several pieces. A piece of metal flew past Kaoru, narrowly missing her head as she jerked out of the way. Aoshi froze, poised in a half-crouch with Misao clutched to his chest.

Misao pushed free, the angry expression still vying for control although the glow in her eyes was unmistakable. "Aoshi!" she screamed again as a shot blasted over her head. "_Leader_, why are you just sitting there? Your loyalties lie with us, not that dirtbag Kanryu!" Something else fell not too far from them, thudding to the deck and sending metal flying. Kaoru shook off the pain as a chunk of metal flew past her, cutting lightly across her arm, then her instincts screamed a warning. Whipping around, she narrowly avoided a blade slicing at her neck. She parried it, blocking the attacks as they came and returning them ferociously. Blinding pain shot across her shoulder as the tip of her attacker's blade cut heavily. Kaoru rolled out of the way, adrenaline running hot in her blood and keeping her focused.

As Kaoru pivoted and turned to face her attacker again, his body suddenly jerked; his torso slid free from the trunk and fell to the ground in a spray of blood. Aoshi stood over Kaoru's attacker, two kodachi loosened from their sheath and freshly smeared with blood. His eyes were expressionless as they gazed at her, but Kaoru sensed a glimmer of humanity buried in their depths. He gave her the slightest of nods, then turned his head back a fraction to the four men behind him. "Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijo. We will fight."

"Yes, Leader!" the men replied and moved forward as one.

"Alright! Let's get 'em! Come on, Kaoru!" Misao bellowed, leaping forward as the five men and Kaoru followed. However, the odds against them had only grown greater. Bodies lay everywhere on the ship, and many were Oniwaban members. More mecs and machinery kept marching up from the bowels of the ship, and as Kaoru surged forward to meet her next attacker, she became keenly aware that the battle was rapidly becoming unwinnable.

However, Aoshi and his four men cut through the battlefield like a tsunami, felling sailors and mecs as they went. Their fury seemed to put fresh heart in the Oniwaban for they renewed their attack with vigor, facing Kanryu's army with new courage. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaoru caught a glimpse of Sano pulling Megumi forward with one hand and creating piles of unconscious bodies with the other. Aoshi was a blur of whirling swords, and Misao's knives flew like arrows. The tide of battle turned sharply, and the Oniwaban began gaining the upper-hand.

Until a maniacal laugh rose up from one side of the ship. "Well then, my fine Oniwaban, let us see what you think of my Gatling gun!" Kanryu bellowed. The man was at the helm of a wicked-looking machine that had been wheeled onto the deck. He cranked a lever and the chattering scream of flying metal pierced the air.

The ship suddenly jerked, knocking many opponents off their feet and sending Kanryu staggering away from the weapon. Under heavy attack from Kanryu's cannons, the Oniwaban vessel had charged forward and careened into the side of Kanryu's ship. Over the babble of voices and the crash of falling machinery, a voice bellowed out, "ONIWABAN, RETREAT!" The Oniwaban scrambled to comply, and through the smoke of the battle and the fierce light of the setting sun, Kaoru made out the figure of a tall, gray-haired fellow at the helm of the Oniwaban ship barking out orders.

Fighting backwards and retreating over the piles of bodies and slicks of blood everywhere, the Oniwaban and Kaoru ducked and dodged as bullets flew over their heads while Sano shielded Megumi and backed them both towards safety. The Oniwaban ship still hovered close to the other vessel as members on board fought off attackers, clearing the way for their fighters to get back on board and Oniwaban members began swinging back on ropes to their homeship.

Aoshi and his four fighters, however, did not retreat and instead kept battling ferociously, cutting down enemies one by one while forming a wall between the attackers and the Oniwaban and keeping the escape route clear for their allies. In a few chaotic moments, the Oniwaban members plus Kaoru, Megumi, and Sano were on board the Oniwaban airship and fighting to stave off the bullets and cannon fire from Kanryu's ship.

"AOSHI!" the gray-haired man bellowed loudly. "WE NEED TO REGROUP! NOW!"

Aoshi's kotatchi paused for one moment, then a slight shift of his shoulders signaled his compliance. Nodding at his men, the five began cutting their way backwards, fending off the oncoming enemies and covering their comrades as they beat back a retreat.

Suddenly the deck cleared like water rushing off a surfacing porpoise, leaving nothing between Aoshi's fighters and the Gatling gun; Kanryu's men had fallen away and the turret of the gun was aimed directly at Aoshi.

"Shinomori, I expect total loyalty from my employees," the man cackled an evil laugh that poured across the deck. "In reward for your services, be the first to witness the full firepower of my Gatling gun!" Kanryu's hand twitched, poised to turn the crank. Aoshi stood motionless, kotachi held in battle stance and dripping with blood. But before he could attack, four bodies leapt in front of him, charging forward towards the Gatling gun.

Shots ripped through their flesh, the heart-rendering staccato of metal bullets accompanied by maniacal laughter from Kanryu. However, the charge of Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo was so strong that their bodies kept moving ahead, jerking under the assault of the bullets but determinately moving forward that for one moment, Kaoru actually thought that they would reach their target. Yet the rain of bullets was too much for them and one by one their bodies sank into bloody heaps on the ground.

The Gatling gun shuddered, then stopped and Kanryu bellowed, "More bullets! NOW!" as sailors scrambled to obey orders and other fighters converged upon the tall, silent man with the two kodachi. Aoshi was now the only Oniwaban on the ship and the others were safely on board the other one, fending off attacks from the guns pointed at them. Rather than flee, Aoshi squarely faced his opponents, poised to face the onslaught.

"AOSHI! GET YOUR ASS ON BOARD!" Misao's voice cut through the clamor of battle renewed afresh. "WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE _NOW_!"

Aoshi paused for one agonizing second, then almost flew to the edge of the railing. The Oniwaban vessel's engines were whining in panic as the ship pulled away from the scene of battle, but one mighty leap and Aoshi landed on board the ship, coat flapping in the wind. The Oniwaban ship began to bank sharply, preparing to make a hasty getaway.

Misao was perched on the edge of the railing, staring at Kanryu's ship with shock and anger written on her face as she gazed at the bodies of Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo. The Oniwaban ship was awash in motion as fighters desperately manned the vessel, ducking bullets and jerking at levers. The wounded were everywhere, leaving trails of slick blood on everything they touched. Megumi was among them, quickly tending wounds even as bullets sailed over her head, and everyone was screaming loudly over everything. Overhead, the remaining gliders converged around the Oniwaban airship and a loud clatter announced that the Gatling gun had been rearmed.

Sliding across the crowded, bloody deck, Kaoru pushed her way towards Misao, determined to get to her friend. Misao's eye's met her for a second and Kaoru was struck by how deep the ninja girl's grief was at losing the four men she had spoken of so highly. But the haunted look passed quickly to be replaced by a fierce, determined expression; Misao turned to face the chaos that was the Oniwaban vessel and squared her shoulders, preparing to tackle the next challenge.

A glider swooped dangerously close to the Oniwaban airship and something screamed a warning in Kaoru's mind, clamoring that the person manning the glider was not dressed in the uniform of the Oniwaban. Instinctively, Kaoru charged forward, willing swiftness into her feet as her sword swung around into readiness. But before she could call out, Misao was plucked from the deck of the Oniwaban airship and flown off to Kanryu's ship, screaming a trail of curses as she was borne away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note: I do so love reading all the reviews you awesome readers give me. Most unfortunately, lately I have not been able to respond to these reviews; the reply url is not working. I'm trying to get this situation remedied, so please forgive my lack of response and thanks for reviewing!**

Kaoru's feet pounded desperately as she charged towards the railing, hoping against hope that she could do something, anything to help her friend. Misao's bright, furious eyes never left her as the ninja girl was whirled away towards Kanryu's ship, turning the air blue with her colorful invective.

A swirl of white and Aoshi was standing at the edge of the railing, gripping it fiercely in one hand with the other reaching for his sheathed kotachi. Kaoru sensed more than saw the muscles tensing in his shoulders as if preparing to leap. But the Oniwaban vessel was banking sharply and moving away from Kanryu's airship with surprising speed and the distance between the two ships was expanding broadly. Aoshi's body dipped as if he was lowing himself into a crouch and Kaoru's pulse raced. _The idiot's actually going to jump,_ she thought frantically, her feet not stopping their desperate rush forward.

But Aoshi did not jump; he apparently judged the distance between the two ships in a heartbeat and decided that doing so would be fatal. In a second, Kaoru had come to a skittering stop next to him only to hear the Okashira breath out _"Misao" _in a hollow voice as his eyes fastened on the glider that was carrying the black-haired teenager away from him.

"Aoshi!" Kaoru gasped at the tall, immobile frame next to her. She was a good enough _ki_ reader to sense that despite his seemingly emotionless persona, the man was quietly burning with anger. His cold eyes swept her, then turned to the gray-haired man frantically bellowing orders at the chaos on deck.

"Turn us around. We must go back for her," Aoshi commanded in a voice that brooked no disobedience. A cannon shot from Kanryu's ship narrowly missed the deck, screaming over it and breaking off a few spars while bullets continued to rain down on them.

"Aoshi! We can't, not against these odds!" the man yelled back. "We have to regroup!"

Aoshi's hand moved as a few inches of kotachi slid from its sheath and his cold voice grew even icier, "Turn us back. _Now_."

"Don't be a fool, Aoshi!" the man yelled "We can't do Misao any good if we get blown out of the sky!" Another cannonball smashed against the prow, sending wood and metal flying everywhere.

Aoshi stood frozen in the maelstrom of attack, as calm and poised as if he was in the middle of a flower garden. Finally, his hand loosened its hold on the kodachi handle. "Very well." His words were frost-bitten but he stepped down from the railing and lifted his voice, "As Okashira of the Oniwaban, these are my orders." Discipline emerged out of chaos as Aoshi began snapping out commands in a calm, collected manner and all able-bodied Oniwaban members scrambled to obey them. The Oniwaban vessel quickly assumed defense maneuvers, soaring and swooping away from Kanryu's cannons and soon they were out of bullet range and picking up speed rapidly. Kanryu's vessel did not show signs of pursuit and in the dying light of the setting sun, the Oniwaban made their retreat.

* * *

Rubbing her temples, Kaoru frowned at the nagging headache that was pounding against the inside of her skull. It was very late at night or quite possibly extremely early morning and she hadn't slept in what seemed like decades. The adrenaline of battle had started to wear off but Kaoru still felt entirely too edgy and worried to even consider sleep, despite how loudly her body was calling for it. In the retreat, the Oniwaban had fled to a secluded area where they could regroup and assess the damage, of which there was an abundance. Nearly everyone was injured in some way and the Oniwaban had faced considerable casualties. Five gliders had been lost and the ship itself was punctured with holes; currently it was tethered to several stout trees and hovering about fifteen feet off the ground, intact but clearly damaged.

On the ground, Oniwaban members grouped around small fires eating, resting, sleeping, and talking quietly. The indefatigable Megumi was still tending to the wounded with the assistance of Sano who had escaped the fight relatively unscathed. Once the serious injuries were attended to, Megumi had pinned down Kaoru and refused to leave until Kaoru had reluctantly exposed her slashed shoulder. Four stitches and a bandage had closed the wound up, and Kaoru was still wincing and twitching her shoulder irritably at the unfamiliar tight sensation. The last remnants of adrenaline were keeping most of the pain at bay, but she knew she would be sore, stiff, and cranky in a few hours. The knowledge that she was currently handicapped just when her ribs had finally finished healing made her extremely irritable and if she had full use of both arms, she would have vented that frustration out on sword practice.

Instead she moved to a steaming pot and dipped up some soup in a bowl. Carrying it carefully, she zeroed in on a solitary figure who sat with his back to the wan light of the fires, isolated from the others. Setting the bowl down on the log Aoshi was perched on, Kaoru stood and observed him. Not a muscle twitched on the calm, emotionless face but she could sense grief and rage simmering below the flat surface.

Gesturing at the bowl, Kaoru said, "Eat. Starving yourself won't do Misao any good."

The man said nothing for a long moment, then slowly stated, "Han'nya. Beshimi. Hyottoko. Shikijo. They are all dead."

"I know," Kaoru responded softly. "And I am sorry." Mentally, she added, _They'd be alive now and Misao would be safe if you hadn't gotten yourself mixed up with Kanryu, moron. What the hell does she see in you anyway? _Aloud she added "And Misao has been kidnapped. But she's a strong girl and she'll be fine. We'll rescue her."

Aoshi rose smoothly to his feet, towering his full height over Kaoru. Coldly, he intoned, "I do not need your assistance to protect my own."

Kaoru crossed her arms, wincing as the stitches in her shoulder pulled against the wound. "Yes, you do," she countered, giving him a glare.

"And why is that?" Aoshi's icy voice cut through the warm spring air.

Pain and lack of sleep always made Kaoru irritable and right now she was really, really irritable. Giving Aoshi a death glare, her temper spilled out with her words. "Well you certainly have been doing a bang-up job on your own," she snapped, sarcasm lacing each word. "Do you know Misao was on board that ship for two solid weeks, right under your nose? While you were protecting some bastard that's killing people right and left with Spider's Web and God knows what else? When she had to practically force you to do your job as leader of the Oniwaban when Kanryu's ship was attacked? When you've got a busted-up ship and a crew full of injuries to re-attack Kanryu's airship full of mecs and Gatling guns? Don't be an idiot, Shinomori. You may not need me but you sure as hell need Battousai."

Aoshi had remained motionless under this verbal barrage and lifted not a word or sword in his own defense. When she had finished her tirade, he responded, "And just why, since you have so thoroughly accused me of incompetence, do you feel that the Battousai would be inclined to lend me his assistance?" Sharpness tinged his words and Kaoru felt a small flush of victory; clearly she was getting under the Okashira's skin and hopefully he would start acting a little more sensible.

"Because...because I'm his woman, that's why," Kaoru replied, feeling her cheeks redden slightly. "You know the reason I was kidnapped was to bring him out so that he could be eliminated. In fact, I'm sure that's why Kanryu hired you in the first place; you're probably one of the few fighters that actually could stand a chance against Ken...Battousai. He told me that he doesn't give up what is his. I'm sure he'd be happy for the chance to relieve Kanryu's body of the weight of his head for kidnapping me, even though I managed to escape. Besides, _The Black Avenger _was still damaged last time I saw it, so Battousai's probably not running at his full strength either. Combining resources is a logical step towards eliminating Kanryu and saving Misao."

Aoshi stood quietly for a moment, and Kaoru could see the gears turning in his head as he carefully weighed what she had said. Finally he spoke but some of the ice had left his voice. "Very well. I cannot say that I am highly pleased with this plan but it appears to be the most viable of options. We will find the Battousai and see if he will join his strength with ours."

"He will," Kaoru said, letting a small smile creep across her face. "I'll stake my life on it."

Aoshi gave the slightest of nods, then quietly said in tones that were almost gentle, "You are a friend of Misao's?"

"I only knew her for a little bit, but yes, she's my friend," Kaoru answered honestly. "She helped me out of a tight spot and I won't forget it. I'm not letting Kanryu keep her. Besides, I owe her one for saving my hide."

Aoshi gave a small snort that bordered dangerously on slightly amused. "I see that Battousai has found a strong woman." Peering at Kaoru closely, he rumbled, "You and Misao are much alike. She is fortunate to call you a friend." With that, Aoshi turned smoothly and disappeared into the darkness.

Kaoru yawned and stretched her uninjured arm, feeling a curl of hope rise up in her. Aoshi had proven to be more sensible than she had expected and despite her beliefs that the man had been acting like a total fool for awhile, she felt reasonably convinced that having finally set his feet on the right path, nothing would cause him to err from it.

A growl in her belly pointedly reminded her that there was currently a bowl of rather good soup sitting in front of her that Aoshi clearly didn't want. Seating herself on the log, Kaoru gratefully raised the bowl to her lips. As she felt the hot soup warm her stomach and sooth away some of the pain of her shoulder, her eyes wandered up to the night sky of black velvet scattered over with a thousand brilliant diamonds. _Kenshin, Kenshin, how am I going to find you?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: the Writing Muses have been especially generous lately, and I have been in possession of a goodly amount of free time and otherwise not-so-free time to write. Good thing because this story is consuming my every waking thought and I am constantly driven forward by an insatiable desire to write, write, write. My poor keyboard is begging for a break! So happy people are enjoying this story – brightening your day by writing stuff you like makes me inordinately happy. And reviews. Several reviews waiting for me at the beginning of the day puts me in such a happy mood. For some women, it's money, for others it's power, I go gaga for story reviews.**

"Come on, come on, _come on_, cooperate you stupid flying junkyard," Kaoru muttered to herself as she tugged fruitlessly at a piece of metal wedged deeply into a cluster of gears. "What's the point of having an airship when everyone's always trying to blow holes in it?" she demanded to the vice grips clenched in her sweaty palm.

It was late afternoon and every able-bodied person was swarming the airship putting it back together after the battle. Kaoru had picked up a little bit of mechanical knowledge during her time on _The Black Avenger_ and, being one of the smallest persons with good climbing abilities, had elected to wedge herself deep in the engine room to yank free a piece of metal that was hampering an important set of gears.

"You know, if you're not up and running soon, I'll bet Battousai is going to find you and decide that you'd be good target practice," she threatened the ship as she wriggled around for a better bracing position. "So be a good girl and behave. Come on, spit it out," she coaxed as she clamped down on the metal piece clogging the gears and began yanking in earnest. "Let go, let go, let...owww! Dammit!" The piece of metal let loose all at once, sending Kaoru's head backwards into something hard. Dropping the vice grips, she rubbed a sore spot at the back of her head and glared at the gears suspiciously before clambering up to safety.

"Okay, Anjo, give it a shot," she called out to an Oniwaban member. The gears choked, then hummed to life and Kaoru felt a small thrill of triumph. She was covered with grease and dirt, shoulder throbbing like crazy, and body tiredly stumbling forward on about three hours of sleep with stomach growling for sustenance, but the airship was rapidly healing and it looked promising that the ship would soon be aloft again.

Stretching her aching shoulders, Kaoru saw Aoshi's tall, lean frame smoothly making his way towards her. While initially the two had gotten off to a rather rocky start, Kaoru had been pleased to see that Aoshi had quickly moved back into his position of Okashira with complete dedication. Behind those inscrutable eyes was a keen, logical mind, and the Oniwaban obeyed his every order with devotion and respect. Although Kaoru knew that he was deeply grieving the loss of his close companions and anxious over Misao's safety, there was no trace of mourning or worry in his hard face, only firm resolve.

Silently, Aoshi handed Kaoru a water bottle, which she took gratefully. The spring air was warm, almost hot, and the inside of the ship was rapidly heating up from the laboring machines and the movement of hard-working bodies. Standing over Kaoru's small form, Aoshi's eyes swept her and darted to her injured shoulder.

"Your wound is bleeding," he pointed out. Kaoru looked down in irritation to see that blood was leaking from underneath the bandage and staining her ragged shirt.

"I must have torn a stitch loose or something. Don't worry about it," Kaoru twitched the shoulder, feeling pain radiate out from it. Aoshi bore not a scratch on him, a fact that irked Kaoru. Standing before her, cool and composed, he was still relatively tidy and well-rested looking, making Kaoru feel all the more disheveled and exhausted in comparison.

"Here," Aoshi pulled a square of white fabric from his pocket and handed it to Kaoru. She took it with a nod of thanks and pressed it gingerly to her bleeding shoulder. As she was mentally pondering how long her newly-bleeding shoulder would escape Megumi's sharp eyes, another man, the gray-haired fellow that Kaoru surmised was the "Gramps" Misao had talked about, appeared at Aoshi's side. Vaguely, Kaoru remembered that someone had called him Okina.

"Good, the engines are finally working properly," he said with a grunt, then gave Kaoru a wide smile bordering on a leer. "Nothing better than a pretty girl who knows how to be useful and isn't afraid to get dirty."

Kaoru gave an audible snort. With engine grease permanently embedded under her fingernails and beads of sweat dripping down her forehead, she felt about as far from pretty as was possible. Ignoring the man, she drank from the bottle again, feeling the stale water slip down her throat and splash into her empty stomach.

"Yes, I expect that we will be in the air by tomorrow," Aoshi responded. There was a palpable chill between the two men as they stood side-by-side surveying the bustle of activity around the ship and on the ground. Kaoru had surmised that Okina had stepped into the role as leader when Aoshi left the Oniwaban and from the look of things, the elder man was not exactly pleased with his returned Okashira. Remembering Misao's words, Kaoru guessed that Okina disapproved of Aoshi's recent employment choices; Kaoru herself was still irked at the tall young man for the same reason.

_You'd better behave yourself, Mister,_ she grumbled to herself. _Or you and I are going to have a long talk. Preferably with my cooking involved. If that doesn't straighten you up, I don't know what will. _

A sweating Oniwaban member came panting up to Aoshi with news of some minor crisis, and the Okashira moved away to attend to it. Okina watched him go, hands folded sternly over his chest. Kaoru sat down tiredly, feeling exhaustion wash over her. Too fatigued to say anything, she rested her elbows on her knees and exhaled tiredly.

"Times have changed," Okina said after a moment or two of silence. His voice was a firm rumble but sadness edged it.

Kaoru looked up at him but Okina continued to stare at Aoshi's departing frame and the stern expression softened a touch. "Lord Aoshi..." he sighed, "Lord Aoshi is one of the most brilliant men I have had the fortune to meet. His skills at fighting, strategy, and leadership are unmatched. But..." he sighed again. "This are new times we live in and sadly many of our old ways have passed on. Men like Aoshi find it...challenging to carve out a place for themselves today where their talents can be fully utilized."

Kaoru stayed silent. Okina was not looking at her but it was obviously important that she hear his words. "The Oniwaban itself has also found these recent times...challenging and have lost much of our former fire. It was Misao that discovered the links in Spider Web and galvanized us to fight back. With a cause at last, the Oniwaban gained strength that we had not known for years. We gathered information and plotted for a year but most unfortunately..." his lined face twisted in a grimace. "Our attack was much worse than I expected. While Misao shows great promise as a leader and I have stepped into the role of Okashira in Lord Aoshi's place, neither of us have skills to match him and most unfortunately our pitiful assault showed this quite plainly."

Kaoru set the water bottle down. "Misao said the attack was to happen late at night; why did you attack five hours early?"

Okina recrossed his arms and the grimace twisted into a scowl. "Call me a fretful old nanny goat, but we had heard no word from Misao in days, our regular secret methods of passing information was useless and I knew that Misao would find it extremely difficult to evade detection by Lord Aoshi and the other four. The brilliant sunset gave us a tactical advantage, and I chose to begin the attack early while our fighters had better light to see by. Most unfortunately, the light also gave our enemies clearer sights on their targets."

Kaoru stretched her uninjured arm and shook her head, trying to ward off an incipient case of yawns that promised to crack her jaw. "I wish I had studied tactics and strategy," she muttered. "Dad just basically focused on showing me how to lop heads off; that doesn't take a tremendous amount of thought." A little louder, she added, "So, basically things are not going well at all, I take it?"

"Well, on the positive end, we have Lord Aoshi with us once again," Okina rumbled. "In fact," he smiled fondly, "I am certain that half the reason Misao pushed us all so hard to track down Spider Web was to find him."

Kaoru grinned tiredly, "Talks about him all the time, does she?"

A pained expression crossed Okina's face, "Do the words 'slightly above always' bear any meaning for you?"

Kaoru let loose a tired giggle. "I figured that out rather quickly myself." Standing, she felt various tight spots pop in her back as her stomach renewed its demand for food with vigor. "Well, so we find Battousai and get Misao back. That's about all the strategy I can come up with, but it sounds pretty good to me." The scent of food cooking caught her attention, and Kaoru automatically turned in that direction.

As she moved towards the enticing aroma, Okina's rumble stopped her. "Young Kaoru." She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. The man's face was serious as he gazed at her. "The Battousai, in many ways, is akin to Lord Aoshi. He too will find these recent times...difficult. You would be wise not to forget this."

At this cryptic statement, Kaoru's brow quirked but her growling stomach overrode any serious cognitive pursuits and she left Okina to find something to eat and hopefully a place to take a nap.

* * *

_The Black Avenger_ churned through the darkening sky, its prow pointed towards the setting sun and running with a stiff wind, but it was not moving forward nearly fast enough to suit its captain. Battousai's eyes had not given up their feral, molten lava glow and although his men had rested and ate, they were still exhausted from battle and the demands of their pirate lord.

Fiery streaks of red and purple splashed across the sky and the ground below was falling into deep shadows. Staring ahead with piercing eyes, Battousai spotted the thick smoke of several fires in the distance, directly in their path. "Take us down five hundred feet," he ordered and his men scrambled to obey. It was a hunch but Battousai's hunches almost inevitably proved to be correct, so skilled was he at reading _ki_ and tapping into his own intuition.

As before, he was correct for as _The Black Avenger _dropped altitude, the shape of another airship tethered on the ground appeared. Battousai's eyes swept it in a measured glance. It would do. Turning away from the railing, he barked out, "Take us down and prepare for attack. If they surrender, we take what we need and leave. If they fight, make it quick. I don't want anymore damage to the ship or more casulties." _The Black Avenger _was in desperate need of certain parts and machines, something that the airship on the ground could supply. In return for not resisting, he would let everyone on board live. If they did not give up without a fight, they would regret it. Deeply. A flutter of cloth drew his attention up as he saw his standard being hoisted aloft. Many ships gave up without a fight when they spotted Battousai's insignia. If the fools milling around on the ground had any ounce of sense, they would do the same.

Cannon turrets snapped open and Battousai's men scrambled for weapons as _The Black Avenger_ dropped heavily from the skies, bearing down on the ship below.

* * *

Kaoru abandoned her plate and shot to her feet as the warning drone of engines roared from the sky. Looking up, she saw the dark shadow of an airship dropping out of the clouds and racing towards the Oniwaban vessel, cannons positioned and flags snapping in the wind. The Oniwaban on the ship and on the ground below threw themselves into well-practice defenses, yelling at each other and reaching for weapons. Aoshi appeared out of nowhere, calmly issuing commands and Kaoru leapt away from the fire she had been sitting besides and raced towards Aoshi while keeping her eyes craned up at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Battousai! It's the Battousai!" a voice called out and Kaoru's heart gave a lurch as she recognized the vessel soaring towards them.

_Kenshin! Don't shoot, it's me, don't shoot! _she thought desperately as she swiftly changed direction and charged towards the other ship, pushing her way through the dense cluster of Oniwaban members.

* * *

Battousai eyed the teeming masses on the ground coldly._ The fools. They're going to fight,_ he thought, his hand gripping his katana in irritation. _I don't have time for this. _Turning to his first mate, he ordered, "Eliminate them and get what we need." But as his attention moved away from the scene on the ground, the lightest of scents brushed past his nose.

_No. It cannot be._ Battousai's head snaked back around as his piercing eyes scorched the ground, searching, penetrating. In the darkening gloom below, he could just make out a small figure leaping in the air and waving desperately at _The Black Avenger._

_It is. _

"Do not shoot!" Battousai bellowed in a voice that caused all his men to freeze. "The man who shoots, I kill. Take us down for a landing, but slowly."

* * *

"Kenshin!" Kaoru screamed over the deafening roar of the propellers. _The Black Avenger_ was hitting the tops of trees, whipping them into a frenzy, and Kaoru could still see cannons fixed pointedly at the Oniwaban airship. With her heart sinking in her chest, Kaoru prepared for the worse.

But suddenly a rope slithered to the ground and in the dust and scattered debris kicked up by _The Black Avenger's_ engines, a flame-haired figure with glowing golden eyes strode forward. Light from the campfires shone in the brilliant tints of his hair and his battle-hungry eyes were locked on Kaoru, devouring her.

Kaoru could not move as the assassin pirate moved towards her, his flowing steps sinuous and coiled and his hand clenched around a deadly katana. As if rooted to the spot, Kaoru's body froze, her eyes captured and held by his blazing eyes.

Silently, the assassin approached her until he stood so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his tightly-coiled body. The wind from the idling engines brushed strands of his long ponytail against her arm, sending chills up her spine. Battousai's overwhelming eyes never left hers and as hers timidly gazed into his, she shivered at their intensity, the raw need and emotion in their depths stating that he was close to ravishing her right then and there.

Instead, a callused hand lifted and brushed against her cheek with the lightest of caresses as the demon of Kyoto spoke in a voice ragged and haunting in its power.

"_Kaoru"_


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note: so I just realized I have been using the terms **_**chi**_** and **_**ki**_** interchangeably throughout this story. And kudos to who pointed out that I kept switching between **_**damiyo**_** and **_**daimyo.**_** Incompetent beta reader. Oh wait, that's me. Oops. Heads up – there's some lime and some darker content here. **

Four men stood around a campfire engaged in a master's level glowering contest. Aoshi's eyes were hard and kept themselves fixed on Battousai who returned the stare with his blazing amber ones. Okina's craggy face was fixed in a stern frown and his glance constantly moved from Aoshi to Battousai. Sano kept sweeping the other three contemptuously but he saved his ugliest stare for Battousai, specifically Battousai's hand which kept reaching out to touch Kaoru as if he needed constant assurance of her proximity.

Kaoru stood between Sano and Battousai, currently unravished and ever-so-slightly disappointed about that fact. The sun had long since disappeared and she was losing track of when she she had last slept. Megumi was on the other side of Sano and a little behind him, her lovely face drawn and exhausted, yet, like Aoshi, she managed to look relatively elegant and composed despite the chaos of the day. In contrast, Karou's attire was an interesting combination of worn boy's clothing, blood, grease, and dirt. If she hadn't been nearly stupid with fatigue, she would have done some glowering of her own at the doctor, but she couldn't muster up the energy. Instead, she blearily noticed that Sano stood as if shielding Megumi from harm and there was a slight bend in his body towards her.

The deafening silence continued for several long moments until Kaoru was just about ready to seize something heavy and start beating sense into the men. _Stupid posturing idiots,_ she huffed to herself irritably. _Are you all just going to __stand__ there all night scowling at each other or are we actually going to talk about rescuing Misao? _

Okina must have sensed her thoughts for he finally broke the icy silence. "So, the Battousai is among us." He gestured towards Kaoru with his chin. "Your woman indicated that you would be disposed towards assisting our cause." Looking at Battousai stonily, he rumbled, "We have need of your strength if you would lend it to us."

"That would depend on the nature of the cause," Battousai responded coldly. "I have my woman back but I have my revenge to seek on those who took her from me."

"Then our interests are parallel," Aoshi's icy voice cut through the tense air. "My..." he paused and a brief flare of emotion showed in his face. Okina glanced at him suspiciously as Aoshi continued levelly, "Someone I wish to protect has been taken from us as well by the same one who kidnapped your woman."

"Takeda Kanryu," Battousai growled.

"Yes," Okina gave a curt nod. "An arms dealer who has been filling this country with mecs and other Western machinery and also the man behind the notorious Spider Web, a drug so..."

"I know what it is," Battousai cut him off. "An evil bane that is killing people across Japan."

Sano gave an incredulous snort, "Since when does an assassin give a damn about people dying?" He shot a menacing stare at Battousai. "What's wrong, 'fraid Spider Web's gonna put you out of work?"

Instantly, Battousai's hand flew to his katana and his body tensed, falling into a fighting stance. Sano's back stiffened and a crooked smirk snaked its way across his face as his fists clenched and raised themselves upward. The two men faced each other, eyes glowing with the heat of combat.

Through gritted teeth, Battousai spat out harshly and decidedly. "I do _not_ kill innocents and I never will. However, I make exceptions for idiotic fools."

Kaoru would have been worried if she hadn't been so exceedingly tired. Battousai and Sano were millimeters from flying at each other, and she did not want either men to be hurt. However, in her exhaustion, she was merely peeved at both men for acting so irrational and was just about to scream at them to knock it off when Aoshi's cold voice drew their attention.

"Enough. Know this, the both of you: Spider Web will not be killing anymore in the future. Current supplies will quickly be used up and no more will be forthcoming."

"How do you know this?" Sano snarled, his eyes not leaving Battousai's golden ones. Battousai returned the stare ferociously.

Aoshi's glance fell on Megumi and what little color the doctor's cheek possessed disappeared. She stared back at the Okashira, and there was a hint of desperation in her look. He said nothing, merely gazed at her with cool, dispassionate eyes. Megumi bit her lip hard and Sano transferred his attention from Battousai to her, a frown of concern replacing the battle-ready grin.

Megumi seemed to wilt slightly as all eyes turned towards her, but she breathed deeply and pulled herself upright. "Because..." her voice had a slight quaver in it as she paused. Continuing in a stronger voice, she said, "Because I made it, that's why. With me gone, Kanryu won't be able to manufacture anymore. I was the only one who know how to do so."

Sano stepped back a pace or two, a dumbfounded expression smacking him in the face. "_You_?" he said bleakly, "But, but you're a _doctor_. How _could_ you...?"

Megumi bit her lip again and Kaoru caught a small tear welling up in the corner of her eyelid. The doctor was saved by Okina who rumbled, "Even without accounting for Spider Web, Kanryu is far too dangerous of a man to be allowed free rein of Japan. Despite strict laws, mecs are filling this country and the vast majority of them are procured by Kanryu. There are many who are eager to take advantage of what Kanryu has to sell and the funds to do so." His hooded eyes rested on Aoshi. "Such as Motonori Denjiro."

Aoshi nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes. The daimyo Motonori is Kanryu's most important client, both in the sales of machinery and armament and also in Spider Web, the proceeds of which make him a very wealthy man and supply him with the funds for more weapons."

Kaoru's brow wrinkled and she saw a worried scowl fleet across Battousai's face. Okina responded, "Motonori is ambitious, ruthlessly so, and his army of mecs and Western machinery grows daily. If I am not mistaken, and I very much doubt I am, he is vying to overthrow the shogun Tokugawa Tanaka. At the rate at which he accumulating weapons and men, he will quickly have the strength to attempt such a feat."

"However, few realize this," Aoshi said quietly. "Motonori has dealt in secrecy, hiding his strength, to make his attack all the more powerful."

"Yes," Okina nodded.

Battousai's face was hard and a storm of emotions raged in his eyes. Aoshi's cold glance landed on him. "The Battousai was a useful tool, directing Japan's eyes away from Motonori's secret dealing. With one hand Motonori ordered attacks on Kanryu's ships and with the other compensated Kanryu for his losses. With the demon of Kyoto loose in the skies, Motonori's hands stayed clean of any meddling with Spider Web or Western inventions."

Heat radiated off Battousai in palpable waves and Kaoru felt the strength of his _ki_ like the raging of a forest fire. It blazed with fury and betrayal, and she shrank back slightly from its intensity. But with almost perfect control, the assassin said with tight, measured tones. "I see. Thus the attack on my ship and the kidnapping of my woman."

"Yes," Aoshi responded. "The Battousai is a sword that has become too sharp for its master to wield safely."

Battousai said nothing for a long moment as emotions warred across his face and his hand clenched tightly on his katana handle. Finally he pronounced decidedly and coldly, "Then the sword will turn against the one who formerly wielded it, less he grow too powerful and Japan suffer."

"Good," Okina rumbled. "Join us, Battousai, and we will crush Kanryu."

"I will," Battousai intoned. "But make no mistake. My enemy is Motonori Denjiro who was once my lord and is now my foe. If what you are saying is the truth, I will not let him destroy Japan."

Okina frowned. "Motonori is extremely powerful, Battousai," he pointed out quietly. "He..."

"I am Battousai," the assassin curtly interrupted him. "I do not give up what is mine be it my woman," he reached out and placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder, "or ship or duty. And now my duty is to Japan and to protect her from those whose ambitions would rip her asunder."

Okina stared narrowly at Battousai while Aoshi's guarded eyes swept them both. Finally Aoshi spoke, "As Okashira, I will lead the Oniwaban and lend their strength to yours." His hooded eyes narrowed. "And we shall see if the strength of the Battousai is equal to its fame."

"You will see it and more," Battousai rumbled. "That I promise." An uncomfortable and weighty silence filled the small group. Megumi swallowed hard and quietly edged away from the fire while Sano watched her go with a conflicted expression and one hand clenched at his side. Battousai gave Aoshi another hard look, then disappeared into the darkness. Kaoru thought briefly about following him, but there was something furious and off-putting in his _ki_ that signaled he wished to be left alone. With suppressed yawns threatening to come up for air, Kaoru took her silent leave and departed for the small sleeping area she and Megumi had staked out.

However, once she had thrown herself down on the blankets, Kaoru's mind perked to life and began yammering incessantly about a million thoughts, permitting her no sleep. She tried desperately to quiet her mind, but although her body was screaming for rest, her head was a buzzing blur of thought which did not permit sleep. Around the camping area, people were settling themselves for the night and checking on the wounded, but even the quiet sounds of people readying themselves for bed could not sooth her. Kaoru's shoulder began throbbing in a way that said sleep was going to be difficult, no matter how much she wanted it, so after several long moments of tossing restlessly, she tiredly rose to her feet and began stumbling about in idle circles, not really sure of where she was going.

On the edge of the camping area was a large pile of assorted crates and broken machinery and for lack of better places to go, Kaoru headed towards it, feet moving forward independent of thought as her mind churned anxiously like a propeller at full speed. Without warning, she suddenly found herself splayed against a large crate as a hard body pushed urgently against hers and hot kisses found her surprised mouth. A callused hand tangled through her hair as strong arms lifted her up off the ground and pressed her into the crate. The smell of ginger awoke her senses and a burst of energy rose up, spurring her on to return the kisses timidly, then boldly. Of their own volition, her legs slowly wrapped themselves around his waist as his tongue slid inside her mouth and his hands traced fiery lines up her sides.

Kaoru wrapped her arms around Battousai's shoulders, pulling him closer and reveling in the feel of his hair sliding between her fingers. Pain and exhaustion were forgotten in the strength of his kisses but his nearness, the hot urgency in his fingertips and the relief at finally being reunited with him collided with the emotion of the past few days and struck her fiercely. As they kissed passionately, hot tears began leaking down her cheeks as her shoulders began to shake.

Battousai pulled his lips away from hers and brought both hands up to her temples, leaning his head forward to meet hers. He exhaled deeply as Kaoru felt her body began to tremble and she bit her lip in fruitless effort to hold back the tears. Her legs slid from his waist and dropped to the ground, uncertain of their ability to hold her up any longer. Battousai wrapped his arms around her and leaned heavily against the crate, cradling her weight and giving her the strength she could not find in herself.

Burying his nose in the crook of her neck, Battousai's hot breath sent shivers up her spine. "You have a rather amazing proclivity for getting yourself kidnapped, my pet," he said in a rumble.

"Sorry," Kaoru mumbled, rather wetly. The tears were still flowing despite her efforts to stop them.

He sighed against her skin and, with an edge of lightness to his voice, said. "Remember, little one, I am the only one allowed to kidnap you. If my kidnapping techniques are no longer acceptable to you, kindly tell me that I may improve them rather than you seeking the services of others."

Kaoru gave a shaky giggle that only caused more tears to fall down her face. If her arms hadn't been so insistent on staying wrapped around Battousai's shoulders, she would have wiped the salty wetness away. Instead, she pressed her cheek to his chest as one of his hands snaked up to gently cup the back of her head and stroke the nape of her neck. Quietly, he murmured against her hair, "Shh, no tears now. I told you that I do not give up what was mine. Did you doubt that I would come for you?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No...no." Clearing her throat she tried to regain control. Blinking her eyes and forcing strength into her voice, she said, "I'm alright. It's fine."

"Not quite alright," Battousai said firmly and pulled away, leading her forward and angling her towards the light of the campfires. Gently he pulled her shirt collar aside to expose her bandaged shoulder.

"It's not..." Kaoru started but he was already carefully lifting the bandages up and his face darkened as he saw the wound on her shoulder.

"It's just a few stitches," she said.

The scowl on Battousai's face darkened. "I was not there to protect you."

"I'll heal," Kaoru stated. "Don't worry about it. Besides," she flashed a tired smile at him, "The first time we met, you broke my ribs, don't you remember? I think I can handle a few stitches." She meant it as a joke but a conflicted expression crossed Battousai's face just as an enormous yawn escaped her jaws.

He scanned her slowly from head to toe as if searching for more injuries she was hiding from him, then reached out to touch her cheek. "The night grows late. You are weary and need your rest." Kaoru nodded in agreement, then suddenly found herself in Battousai's arms again. This time, his kisses were soft and slow and she clung to him, unwilling to let him go. But eventually he gently disentangled himself from her arms and stepped away into the shadows, leaving her to stumble tiredly to her bedroll.

* * *

Megumi sat on a rock, a pointed edge digging into her rear and a headache pounding in her temples, but she welcomed the pain. _I deserve it_, she thought miserably to herself, _and so much, much more. _Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the horrified, angry look Sano had rained down on her. Again and again, she hear the words echoing in her head _"But, but you're a __doctor__. How __could__ you...?" _

Clenching her teeth, Megumi would have cried but all her tears had been shed a long time ago and there was only dry exhaustion left over. _That stupid rooster, just when I was starting to think...Just when I was beginning to hope...no. _Hands on her knees, Megumi gripped a fistful of fabric, her nails digging into the weave. No hope. There never was much hope for Takani Megumi, only the thinnest shred of possibility that by staying alive, one day she could somehow find her family. That was the one thing standing between her and throwing herself off the airship as she had contemplated so many times while under Kanryu's iron rule.

Footsteps. The sound of someone not bothering to hide his presence, a demanding thump in their fall. Megumi did not need to look up to know who it was. A tight, hard voice spoke out of the darkness. "Why did you do it? One of my close friends died because of Spider Web, you know."

Grief and shame made her lash out. "He didn't have to take it! No one forced him to!" Megumi spat out venomously, then turned away, keeping her back to him while her shoulders pulled inward despite her efforts to hold them up proudly.

Sano came to stand in front of her, making her face him. "I asked you a question," he said with quiet anger. "_Why_?"

"Because...because I was forced to, that's why!" Megumi snarled. "Do you think I _wanted_ to make something that kills people? I'm a doctor, Sano, I'm trained to _help_ people. Do you know how much it destroyed me to keep making Spider Web, knowing I was leaving a trail of bodies behind me? I wouldn't have done it if Kanryu...hadn't..." Megumi's vision began to swim as horrid memories, carefully tucked away and forced down, began swarming to the surface, invading reality and pulling her down into their black depths.

_Strong hands pinning her down and a hard body pressing against hers, driving the breath out of her lungs as the hated voice hammered on her ears. "I have been more than patient, dear doctor, but you have left me with no other option." Hot breath rasped against her skin, filling her with revulsion. "You've been a very bad girl, doctor, and I don't tolerate insubordination. Bad for business, you know." His evil laugh sent terror through her body as her hands struck fruitlessly at him. _

Strong arms reached for her, wrapping themselves around her. In panic, Megumi struck out blindly, fighting desperately against them as she struggled for freedom. "Don't touch me, Kanryu! Stop it!"

"Hey, easy there, Fox Lady," a voice rumbled in her ear but she was too filled with panic to recognize it. Kicking and thrashing, she tried to fight her way out of the tightening net of arms until he shook her and said firmly. "Megumi..._Megumi_, stop. It's Sano. You're safe. It's okay."

Megumi's thrashing limbs stilled as reality swam back into focus and her vision cleared. "Oh, oh Sano!" she cried out and buried her head in his chest. Although Megumi had thought that she had long shed all the tears her body would ever produce, new ones flowed freely as Sano cradled her to himself, stroking her back.

He sighed. Confusion and anger were still warring in him, but Megumi's tear-streaked panic had quelled much of his rage and answered a lot of his questions, much as he hated to hear the unspoken answers. As she cried on his shoulder, Sano's anger changed direction. When Megumi's sobs had died to sniffles, he questioned darkly. "That Shinomori bastard let Kanryu...?" he left the question dangling.

Megumi shook her head. "No...no," she quavered. "It was...be...before Aoshi. Aoshi...ac...actually protected me from...from the worst of Kanryu." She pushed back from Sano and wiped her tears away. "Aoshi's not exactly a friend but he's...he's..."

"A bastard but an okay bastard?" Sano tried a smile and Megumi returned it with a wobbly one.

She gave a shaky laugh and said, "Let's say that if you need someone who can swing a sword or two, he's your man."

"Yeah, I think we saw that on the ship," Sano grinned, but then turned serious. "We're gonna get this guy, Megumi."

She bit her lip. "Kanryu will find me," she said with a resigned grimness.

"No," Sano said. "If Battousai or Aoshi doesn't get in my way, I'll kill him myself. You are never going back to him. That's a promise."

"From a rooster? What's that worth?" Megumi smiled wetly, a flash of stubborn fire trying to rise above the grief and fear.

"Fox Lady, this rooster's gonna see you eat your words. Just you wait."

* * *

Misao kicked her feet in an impatient tattoo against the floor. She had never been so utterly bored in her entire life. Unaccustomed to sitting still for more than three seconds at a time, she was nearly mad with impatience after almost a day of captivity. _Aoshi, please, please get here soon, I am so bored out of my fricking_ _mind,_she grumbled. Her captors, wise to the fact that they had a ninja girl as prisoner, had taken the precaution of not only locking her in a cell but chaining her hands together. Normally Misao wouldn't mind as she had a remarkable ability to fold her hands up small enough to slip out of handcuffs, but these were newfangled inventions from the West and they kept her imprisoned quite effectively. Pity because Misao knew the ship very well by now and was fairly convinced that if she could manage to slip the cuffs, escaping out of the cell would not be too terribly challenging. Well, the guard stationed at the brig's door had to be accounted for. Also the fact that there weren't any vents in the room. Not to mention that the cell door itself looked particularly well-locked. And the fact that she was several hundred feet above ground. But surely...

"Aww, dammit," Misao grumbled and flopped herself on the ground. _I'm stuck, stuck, stuck, _she thought impatiently._ And...grieving, _she bit her lips as the horrid, blood-smeared memories rushed back to her. _Han'nya. Beshimi. Hyottoko. Shikijo. All dead. I can't believe it. _Impatience turned to tears as sorrow flooded her and she mourned the men she had loved so dearly.

_Kaoru, find Battousai,_ she thought. _Battousai, join the Oniwaban. Okina, don't be angry with Lord Aoshi. Aoshi, please come for me. You always protected me as a child. Help me now, please. _


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: this has been a mega crazy week at work, but I did manage to hack out a chapter. I'm realizing as I write and as I read other fanfiction that my chapters tend to be short. What do you all think – are shorter or longer chapters better? Personally I prefer shorter as my attention span can be extremely brief. But I am curious what you all think. BYW, hope the switch between Battousai/Kenshin is not confusing - I was trying to emphasize the K/K relationship at the end and used Kenshin when Kaoru is thinking his name. If it is pointlessly confusing, let me know and I'll fix it. **

Kaoru stood on deck, oddly thankful to be on board _The Black Avenger _again and this time as a willing passenger and not a captive. Over the past week, Battousai's men and the Oniwaban had swarmed both ships, stripping the Oniwaban vessel of vital parts to repair _The Black Avenger._ Activity had been non-stop, the men working in shifts around the clock. Kaoru had never thought she could sleep with the sound of hammers and clanging gears in her near vicinity, but exhaustion had claimed its due and her nights had been full of deep, almost comatose sleep to make up for the hard days of punishing work. During daylight hours, she moved back and forth between both ships, repairing and dismantling as best she could with the instructions of the pirates. Thankfully, there were those on board the Oniwaban vessels that were much better cooks than Kaoru, and she had been tactfully encouraged to put her mechanical skills (more competent than her cooking abilities) to good use. With instruction and guidance, Kaoru found that she was developing a knack for wielding tools and fixing stubborn machines.

At the end of the day, Kaoru and Megumi usually retired to a small lake by the campsite for a swim to wash off the blood and grime of the day, closely guarded by Battousai or Sano. Although Kaoru was beginning to think that she would never get the grease out from underneath her fingernails, she was thankful for the opportunity to bathe, as crude as it was. The lovely doctor never seemed to become as filthy as Kaoru did, but long days of tending the wounded left her exhausted and disheveled too. Despite their differences, mutual hardship and goals drew the two women into a somewhat strained but polite friendship.

Between the four men, Kaoru was pleased to see that they were gradually setting aside their distrust and coming to a grudging truce. They no longer glowered at each other (much) and Sano had even thrown a joke or two at Battousai, eliciting a small smile. Aoshi's face was eternally guarded, giving nothing away, but the quiet fervor that he drove himself and the rest forward made it transparent that he was intent on rescuing Misao. There had been a few scuffles between _The Black Avenger's _crew and the Oniwaban, but as a whole the men worked together in tolerable unity and _The Black Avenger_ was swiftly restored to its former strength as Kaoru remembered from her first few days of captivity.

After a week of intensive repairs and refurbishing, _The Black Avenger _had been deemed ready to set sail again with all able-bodied Oniwaban members joining Battousai's men. The ship was crowded, and there had been some muttered discussion about weight loads, but all unnecessary cargo had been left behind and supplies stripped down to minimum. Battousai was out to make his war and the ship was to travel light and fast.

"We cannot outfight Kanryu's ship in a sky fight," Battousai had announced decisively to the group the night before they departed. The sun had set and the four men plus Kaoru and Megumi were standing around a small table laden with blueprints, graphs, and other papers bearing complex drawings and other scribblings that Kaoru could not decipher. "Even with the addition of the Oniwaban, there are too few of us to withstand Kanryu's cannons and one ship will not be sufficient to attack him."

"Then we will take the fight to the ground," Okina frowned. "The Oniwaban are better fighters with earth under their feet."

"Then we will do it," Battousai's fiery bangs nodded slightly. "Kanryu's vessel must be taken down_._"

A ghost of a frown appear on Aoshi's face. "Only sabotage can bring down Kanryu's ship – _The Black Avenger_ does not possess the strength to force it downward."

"I know this," Battousai rumbled. Looking levelly at Aoshi, he questioned. "You could sabotage it?"

"Yes," Aoshi stated. "I have knowledge of the ship that none of you, save Misao perhaps, possess." He moved to the table and twitched aside several pieces to retrieve a hand-drawn blueprint he had been sketching to give the layout of Kanryu's vessel in intricate detail. Motioning to a section, he said, "The main engine room is manned at all times, yet it would not be impossible to disable three of the engines, particularly with the assistance of Misao." He tapped a few areas of the blueprint. "Sabotaging Engines 1, 3, and 7 would cripple the ship. It would have no choice but to land."

Battousai nodded sightly, "That would be effective. However, the difficulty is planting you on board the ship." He shot a hard look at Aoshi under the heavy fringe of his brilliant bangs.

"I have an answer for that as well," Aoshi responded. "Kanryu's ship is visited frequently by many of his lighter vessels which bring him news and other supplies."

"And intercepting one for the purpose of smuggling you on board would not be impossible," Battousai finished for him. Aoshi's head twitched every so slightly. "Very well. We will attack on pretext of commandeering supplies and food, allowing a diversion for the Okashira to slip on board. However," Battousai frowned, "_The Black Avenger_ is well-known in these skies. If word reached Kanryu that one of his ships was raided by my airship, he will be suspicious."

"Then we disguise _The Black Avenger_," Okina rumbled. "We remove your standard and place another as captain so that our ruse is not detected." His hard eyes moved to Kaoru. "Such as Kaoru."

Battousai's head snaked around and his face darkened as Aoshi nodded, "A pirate queen. Yes, I think that would do well. She will lead the Oniwaban and the Battousai's men. With luck, the other ship will not resist and we will be able to take them easily."

Battousai's hand clenched around his katana handle and he said tightly, "I will _not_ stand aside and watch as my woman endangers herself, not when she has been exposed to so much peril in the past several weeks."

Kaoru placed a hand on Battousai's hard shoulder. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

"No, Kaoru," Battousai's voice was a low growl.

"There is little fear of danger," Aoshi spoke quietly. "The lighter vessels are built for speed, not fighting, and they have few men on board. It is highly unlikely that they will resist."

"No," Battousai growled again.

"Easy, 'Sai," Sano drawled. "Okina and I'll stick to her and you'll be on the ship in case something goes wrong. It'll be alright."

Battousai's face was twisted in a scowl but he finally spat out, "I do not like this but I admit this plan has some merit. It will suffice for now."

"Good," Okina nodded. "Now, let us focus on finding one of Kanryu's lighter vessels."

"It should not prove difficult," Aoshi responded. "Kanryu was charged with eliminating the Battousai, and it is to his great advantage to do so. I do not believe that he is heading for one of his many ports but instead he is likely keeping in the same general area where he last engaged Battousai, thus why I have assigned so many guards to watch the skies for his attacks. Yet a ship his size bearing that many men is requires a great deal of supplies. With the cargo it carries, Kanryu's ship does not have the room nor the weight allowance for enough food and water for many weeks, and he depends upon his lighter supply vessels to supply him what he needs."

"Then we take to the skies," Battousai rumbled. "My airship is repaired and at her full strength again, and I have war to make against my enemies."

With that, _The Black Avenger _had set sail early the next morning and Kaoru had felt her heart strangely lifted by the familiar cadence of the airship's propellers and the particular odor of the ship: a blend of wood, harsh soap, moving bodies, and the lightest whiff of ginger that permeated everything. A slightly stronger hum of ginger moved past her nose, and she turned to see Battousai striding several feet away from her, intercepting a sailor and firmly dressing him down for some misdeed. Kaoru smiled to herself as a funny tickle of emotion curled up in her belly. She had barely seen him during the last week, so busy were they both in rehabilitating _The Black Avenger; _their interactions had been limited to a handful of quiet words during hurried meals gulped down around the fire and the few times he had pounced on her unaware and pressed her urgently up against a handy crate or tree trunk until her lips were swollen with his hungry kisses. So uncertain were the upcoming days that Kaoru could think of nothing beyond rescuing Misao and defeating Kanryu and Motonori: she had little time to ponder what precisely her feelings were for Battousai, if they had any possible future, and what exactly had caused her fury with the assassin-pirate to change to blushes and trembling knees when he so much as looked at her with those piercing eyes of his.

A yelling pirate caught Kaoru's attention, dragging her eyes away from their dreamy fixation on Battousai's liquid, powerful stride and the masculine set of his shoulders and towards the far more mundane activity of slithering into a tiny space to retrieve some vital tool that a clumsy pirate had dropped in there. Sighing, Kaoru thought wistfully of Tsubame's elegantly-appointed rooms full of scented baths, exquisite meals, and hordes of serving women to attend her every need. Kaoru was beginning to forget what it was like to be clean, well-rested, and composed and had just about decided that the engine grease stains would never leave her skin. _Lucky Tsubame,_ she grumbled to herself before heading forward to retrieve the errant tool.

* * *

"I still do not like this, Kaoru," Battousai rumbled. Kaoru stood in his tiny cabin, carefully positioning his three-pointed airship captain's hat on her head and staring at her reflection in a small mirror. She had been surprised to find that Battousai owned such an item – the only hat he ever wore was his vibrant hair. Kaoru had ransacked his chest searching for items to make herself look more authentic as a pirate captain and had been astonished to find Western clothing buried at the bottom. The hat, wide boots and thick belt gave her a distinctly European look which she decided would help establish her credibility as a wild, unpredictable pirate queen that was best heeded.

"Relax, Kenshin, it'll be okay," Kaoru assured him as she twirled her hair into two thick braids, the hat making her accustomed ponytail impracticable. In the small mirror, she caught the scowl of the pirate assassin and she smiled at her reflection to assure him.

Battousai's expression darkened with worry, "You are putting yourself in danger again, Kaoru, and you expect me to stand by passively and do nothing."

"Sano and Okina will be with me and you'll be steps away in case anything bad happens," Kaoru reminded her glowering...lover? Was that the right word? Was Kenshin truly...? Kaoru's brain twitched frantically, darting back and forth.

The air was quiet for a moment as both parties chewed meditatively on their own thoughts. Finally Battousai broke the silence. Quietly, he said, "I could not even rescue you when you were ensnared in the clutches of Kanryu. Do you know how impotent I felt at the helm of a crippled vessel which could not carry me to your side quickly enough?" His voice dropped lower and his scowl returned, "And then to find that you had effectively rescued yourself, and with the help of..." Battousai trailed off as his scowl darkened.

Kaoru cocked her head and looked at Battousai in concern. His eyes were turned from her and as she gazed at him, she realized that his pride had been hurt. He had not been able to save his woman; instead, others had brought her to his side. Stepping in front of him, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him. "You would have gotten to me, Kenshin," Kaoru smiled. "I just...hurried things along by meeting the right people."

He sniffed but the scowl disappeared to be replaced with a fond expression. "I should have known you would not be one to sit by quietly waiting to be rescued." His lips twisted in a teasing smile. "Must you insist on being so irritatingly competent?"

"Hey, don't forget that I'm a pirate queen!" Kaoru mock-protested. "No pirate queen worth her salt will admit to being incompetent."

"Yes, but I must admit that I have a particular dislike of your hat," Battousai responded.

Under its wide brim, Kaoru's brow wrinkled. "_I_ like it. What's wrong...?" Suddenly, the hat went flying to the floor as Kaoru was crushed against Battousai, his muscled arms pressing her into his chest as their tongues tangled together and one of her legs rose up to hook around his thigh. Long moments passed before they both broke away, panting.

Battousai's eyes gleamed with heat and he rumbled, "How am I supposed to kiss you when you are wearing a gigantic monstrosity such as that hat? One would think that by wearing it, you are stating that you do not wish me to kiss you at all."

"Maybe I don't," Kaoru teased and playfully tried to worm her way out of his arms but they locked together like steel chains and defied her attempts to escape. Battousai kissed her again and all the oxygen in the tiny cabin seemed to disappear as Kaoru became vividly aware that they were finally alone, truly alone, and there was a small bunk beckoning seductively at them. Without thinking, her hands wandered to the knot on his obi as his fingers slid up her sides to glide towards her breasts.

At one, they both froze. Battousai's breath was hot and rasping in his lungs, but he stepped back a pace or two, gripping her shoulders firmly in his hands and shaking his head slightly. "Kaoru, little one, no, not... not now, not when all this is before us. This is...not the time."

Kaoru felt both disappointment and relief but she nodded her head, resigned, "We have a battle to fight."

"Most likely several," Battousai said, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek in his callused palm.

Kaoru sighed, and exhaustion suddenly settled over her. Not for the first time did she wish she was back at her quiet dojo, teaching students and dealing with people who were not trying to shoot or kidnap her. Gently, Battousai reached out and cradled her to his chest, breathing his strength into hers.

"This will not be forever, Kaoru," he said softly. "Eventually this battle will cease and you can rest."

Kaoru said nothing. Remembering Okina and Aoshi's words, she thought about the vast strength of Monotori's armies and the powerful fingers of Kanryu into every facet of Japan. _How are we going to defeat them?_ she thought tiredly to herself.

"Battousai has never been defeated," said the red-headed swordsman holding her, "He will not fail you now."

Learning against his chest, Kaoru felt the confidence of his words seep into her. _Kenshin __will__ do this,_ she thought to herself. _And Japan will be safer for it. I just need to trust him. Trust us. Trust Aoshi and the Oniwaban. Trust myself. And wait. _


	18. Chapter 18

"Kaoru, I _do not_ like this," Battousai growled, fingers wrapped in a deadly grip around his katana handle.

"Kenshin, you've said that about nine dozen times. I think you got your point across," Kaoru snapped irritably, partially from frustration and partly out of nervousness. After two days of scouring the skies, _The Black Avenger _had encountered one of Kanryu's minor supply ships in the distance - Aoshi spotted it with his piercing eyes - and the pirate airship was now bearing down on it. _The Black Avenger_ was awash in activity as it sailed towards the other ship that was frantically trying to flee. The supply ship was fast and agile, but the _The Black Avenger_ cut through the air like a knife through cloth and they were quickly gaining on the other vessel.

A snap of fabric above Kaoru drew her eyes upward to where her flag, hastily stitched together, fluttered in the wind to display her insignia of three white stars and a mountain against an indigo blue background. Someone of the Oniwaban had made it, and Kaoru hadn't bothered to question what it was supposed to represent. All that mattered was that _The Black Avenger _had been disguised, her name on the prow painted over and other changes made to hide her true identity. With luck, the other ship would believe that they were being boarded not by Battousai but by a pirate queen's crew.

The Oniwaban and Battousai's men fell into their positions – they had managed to mix around their clothing so it wasn't too terribly apparent that they made up two separate groups of people. Everyone was gearing up for the boarding, except Battousai who stood between Kaoru and the other ship, emanating protectively angry _chi_ like smoke and refusing to move. Kaoru's eyes narrowed under the brim of her wide hat as she glared obstinately at him. He glared back as amber began to swim in his violet eyes.

"We discussed this, Kenshin, you'll be right there if anything happens," Kaoru reminded him impatiently trying to bit back the urge to scream. Motioning outward, she pointed at the other ship struggling to stay ahead as _The Black Avenger _bore down on it heavily. "It's almost time. We've got to do this. Misao's counting on us." The men surrounding them were reaching for grappling hooks and seizing weapons and everyone was holding their breath, poised for conflict. Mentally Kaoru added, _And you're making me even more nervous by hanging around bitching. Please go away and stop fussing. _

Battousai's hard look did not disappear. Gazing at her intensely, he rumbled, "Kaoru if _anything_, anything at all even _threatens_ to happen, I will not hesitate to attack. I will _not _allow you to continue this charade if it endangers your life."

"I know, I know," Kaoru sighed. Trying to smile at him, she said, "I have no doubt of that." Giving him a quick kiss under her wide-brimmed hat, she pushed him lightly. "Go, it will be fine." He scowled but slipped away through the crowds to position himself out of sight.

They were nearly on top of the other vessel, and Kaoru could see several people on board rushing around frantically. By her count, there were less than a dozen men on the ship. Reaching for a megaphone, she gritted her teeth. _Here it goes_, she thought.

"Ahoy! You are now in the control of _The White Destroyer, _manned by the pirate queen Kaoru!" she bellowed as loud as she could. "Prepare to be bordered!" The entire thing sounded ridiculous to her ears, and she sincerely hoped the other sailors would not simply break down in laughter. However, the frantic scurry of activity on board the other ship indicated that the sailors were taking what she said extremely seriously.

As luck would have it, the entire raid was almost seamless. _The White Destroyer, _as it was styled, fastened grappling ropes on the other vessel and pulled the two ships together. Kaoru's sailors swarmed the ship, and she followed with Okina and Sano at her side. Stepping on board the ship, she swept it carefully, looking for dangers and trying her level best to glower ominously.

"We need food and supplies!" Kaoru snapped out. "Who's in charge here?"

A pale-faced young man stepped forward, clearly nervous but trying to appear brave in front of his men. "I am captain here," he said in an audible squeak, then cleared his throat.

Kaoru felt almost sorry for him: the lad was roughly her age and about as green as a cucumber. Giving him her best death stare, Kaoru barked, "Food and medical supplies, now. Cooperate, and none of your men will be harmed." The you man froze, looking her over with confused eyes. "Move it! I said _now_!" Kaoru commanded and the captain and his men scrambled into bumbling action, practically tripping over each other in the process. The men began dragging forward chests and boxes of food and medicine as Kaoru's men moved among them, taking what they wanted. In truth, they planned on dropping everything overboard to save on weight once they were out of sight, but for now, they needed to make the "raid" look realistic.

As Kaoru surveyed the activity with the best steely glare she could muster, she saw out of the corner of her eye that the baby-faced captain was reaching quietly for a gun. But before she could react, Sano's heavy hand clamped down on the young man's shoulder, nearly buckling his knees. "Buddy, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sano rumbled. The captain gulped and turned even paler but he withdrew his hand and stood without moving while Sano kept a casual eye fastened on him.

Within a few minutes, Kaoru and her crew were back on board their own vessel and loosening the grappling ropes to let the other ship go. It drifted for a few moments as if stunned that it had gotten off so lightly, then fired up propellers and zipped away into the clouds. As it moved away, a brush of ginger told Kaoru that Battousai was back at her side, and his _chi_ was perturbed and reeking with protectiveness.

"Are you all right?" he demanded, clasping Kaoru's shoulders in his hands.

"Fine," Kaoru blew out a shaky breath, feeling her knees beginning to tremble. It could have gone dreadfully wrong, but everything was letter-perfect. Relief and triumph danced in her veins. "Where's Aoshi?"

"He slipped on board as planned," Battousai answered, mouth twisted in a thoughtful frown. "The other ship was quite small and anyone else but the Okashira could not go undetected on it for long. But he will not fail us, that I am certain." Okina and Sano had come to join them, and Okina nodded his head in agreement at Battousai's last sentence.

"Aoshi is a shadow of the night – he will not be found unless he wishes it," Okina stated.

"Four days he asked for, this day and three more," Battousai said. "We attack on the fourth day."

"And if Shinomori doesn't come through?" Sano frowned. "You got a backup plan, 'Sai?"

"Then we attack from the sky," Battousai said darkly. "For its many advantages, Kanryu's vessel is not without its weaknesses. It is much less maneuverable than a small ship, that is for certain, and its cannons' ranges do not cover the entire ship. Mecs, for all their strength, are not as agile as humans, and a well-placed shot to the face will disable them. In the last attack, the Oniwaban were claiming victory before the Gatling gun was brought into the fight. I can destroy it, which will be to our advantage."

"Yes, but Kanryu has a staggering amount of men on board his ship and we will be heavily outnumbered, whether we fight in the air or on the ground," Okina frowned. "We _were_ heavily outnumbered in the last battle."

"Yes, but you did not have the Battousai fighting with you," Battousai's voice turned cold. "My sword will not cease until it has claimed victory."

"And Sano, you were protecting me in the last fight," Megumi's voice shyly entered the conversation as she slipped towards the group. "I know I was holding you back some. This time, I'll be out of the way."

"Pfff, Fox Lady, I was just kinda going easy on them, you know. Knew we were gonna be fighting them again, so it wouldn't have been fun if I had beat them all up then and there. I had to save some for later." He flashed her a grin which she returned bravely.

"Then we fight," Battousai pronounced, then moved forward to give commands to the sailors. One of the first orders of business was to dump the excess supplies they had commandeered. _The Black Avenger_ was already more loaded than it needed to be and with a battle ahead of them, every ounce counted. Spotting a village ahead of them, Battousai ordered his men to bring the ship close to the ground about a half mile from it. They lowered the stolen food and medical supplies to the earth and left them behind as a gift to be found by the surprised villagers, then departed, sailing into the thick clouds.

* * *

Battousai glided smoothly across the deck, his sharp eyes moving across every surface and person, but nothing drew his disapproval. His men and the Oniwaban were working together quite well, and only a few minor spats had occurred since the two groups were thrown into forced unity. However the _chi_ on board the ship was ripe with anxiety, nervousness, and impatience. For three days they had roamed the skies in search of Kanryu's ship and once they had located it, a tiny dot on the horizon, they had pulled some complicated maneuvers to follow at a distance undetected. The men, particularly the Oniwaban, knew what dangers awaited them at this battle, and the long periods of time before the appointed day were fraying already taut nerves and aggravating the tension of anticipation.

Moving among the men, Battousai spoke exhortations, dispersing his calm _chi_ and quiet presence to encourage them. He was not one to be lavish with praise, so a few words of edification and a hand on tense shoulders was enough to draw thankful looks and raise morale. They were ready. They had been ready for days and were like stabled racehorses, itching for action. Above them, Kaoru's standard was flapping in the wind, tomorrow to be replaced by his and _The Black Avenger_ restored to her former identity. Kanryu would know who was assailing his ship and would quickly learn to fear the name of Battousai.

Night was approaching and glorious streaks of color raced across the sunset sky but set against the gorgeous riot of hues, leaning on the railing, was a sight even more beautiful. Padding silently towards Kaoru until he was directly behind her, Battousai nuzzled her neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hi," Kaoru said simply as she leaned back into his chest, gratefully letting him take her weight. Burying his nose in her hair, he marveled that she could still smell of jasmine despite the punishing days of work and the non-stop worry of the past weeks.

"Hello, little one," Battousai purred, moving his hands up to knead her shoulders. Kaoru's head tipped back in pleasure as his strong fingers deftly worked out the tightness, then gave a little whimper as he hit a particularly hard knot. Easing off the pressure a little, he drove his thumb around and over the inflamed muscle mass as he fed his _chi_ into her, seeking to sooth and heal. He could feel her clenching her jaw and fighting against the urge to tear away but after a few minutes of patient kneading, the muscle knot yielded to his powerful fingers and Kaoru relaxed under his hands, rolling her head back and forth as she sighed happily.

"Mmmm, thanks," Kaoru said gratefully, leaning into him again. Battousai wrapped one arm around her slender waist and the other one across her shoulders, gently guiding her head to rest against his neck. They stood together a long time watching the sun sink towards the horizon in a dazzling explosion of color, simply enjoying each other's presence and the chance to momentarily forget the battle awaiting them the next day.

Finally, Battousai broke the silence. His voice rumbled in a vibrato that sent a shiver across the back of her neck as he said, "Kaoru, I do not want you to fight tomorrow. Stay behind on the ship with Megumi."

"_What_?" Astonished and angry, Kaoru pushed free of his arms and whirled around to face him. "Kenshin, are you _crazy_? We're going to be heavily outnumbered and we need everyone we can get!"

His face was started to darken, and she caught a glimpse of amber encircling his pupils. "Yes, but you have already endangered yourself far more than than you deserve over the past few weeks. And try as you might to hide it, I know your shoulder wound hinders you and that your ribs are still..."

"Kenshin, I can fight," Kaoru insisted. "And I'm _not_ staying behind. Aoshi and Misao, they're counting on us, Kenshin. Everyone is. Besides, I already fought Kanryu's men and that was without you. I have to do this."

Battousai's scowl deepened and her _chi_ senses pricked with warning as he spoke in a voice like distant thunder, "This will be far worse than what you experienced last time, Kaoru. Kanryu knows that he has as enemy both Battousai and the Oniwaban and that the Oniwaban has regained their Okashira, a man of formidable skills. He knows of Sano's talents as a fighter also. Kanryu will take no chances this time."

The air was crackling between them as they squared off, glaring at each other. Battousai was reining in his temper far better than Kaoru who was gearing up for a long, hard verbal sparring match that she was determined to win. "You told me Battousai has never lost a battle before," she spat out, feeling her jaw clench with tension. "Are you losing your nerve?"

"Kaoru, do _not_ throw my words back in my teeth," Battousai growled angrily. "I can't..." He closed his eyes for a moment and his face drew inward but when he opened them and spoke again, his voice was calmer and softer. "Kaoru, understand that I cannot effectively protect you and defeat our enemies. I cannot stay by your side if we have any hope of succeeding." He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder as Kaoru felt her anger lessen somewhat but the fight was still in her.

"We have a responsibility to Misao and the Oniwaban and all of Japan, not just ourselves," she said tersely. "This is not just about revenge anymore, Kenshin, it's about Spider Web and mecs and guns and what they're doing to our country. We can't, I can't, let it go on any longer. I just..." Suddenly a big lump of emotion caught itself in her throat as tears began to prick at her eyes. "I just want to...to get this over with and go _home_." The lump stubbornly refused to budge and, to Kaoru's frustration and embarrassment, the tears shook loose of her eyelashes and cascaded freely down her cheeks as memories rushed to the surface: her father's dojo, Tsubame elegant and delicate with that gentle smile of hers, the smell of the street outside her house back in Hikone, cherry blossoms sending their elegant blooms in the wind.

Emotion and remembered sensation crashed together, and Kaoru found herself leaking silent tears on Battousai's shoulder as he held her against his chest. She angrily scrubbed at the tears, biting her lip until pain rushed through her head and gave her clarity. Clearing her throat, she said in a resigned but determined tone, "I have to do this, Kenshin. You have to let me."

Battousai said nothing for several long moments, then finally sighed. "I will assign Sano to guard you," he said heavily. "His fists are quick and he will see that no harm comes to you. And if any does, he will answer to me."

Kaoru nodded silently. She had gotten her way but the knowledge weighed heavily on her and she wanted nothing more than to sleep, preferably curled up in Battousai's arms. But she had a katana at her side and battlefield awaiting her, and the last of the sun was dropping into the inky darkness of night, warning them all of the fight ahead.

_Hours. _

_Not days. _

_Hours. _

_We will fight._

_We will win. _

_Tomorrow. _


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note: More than 150 reviews! That is so awesome you guys like the story this much! Thanks to whoever pointed out that **_**Airship Assassin**_** is somewhat like **_**Last Exile**_**: I bought the series and have been devouring it. Hmm, shall I break tradition and write a non-RK fanfic? Well, I do have another RK fanfic in the pipeline and will start banging that out when **_**Airship Assassin**_** is done, which should be fairly soon. Then maybe a **_**Last Exile**_** fanfic. **

_No. This...this cannot be true._ Yahiko stumbled in a daze behind his father as Motonori Denjiro strode ahead through the brightly lit corridor with Kanryu at his side. The two men were deep in discussion; Kanryu wore his ever-present smile that was millimeters from a smirk, but Motonori's brow was furrowed and his eyes dark.

"Kanryu, I am not pleased with your progress," Motonori's voice was a low rumble of warning. "It has been over two weeks since the Battousai left my house, and I visit your ship to find that not only have you failed to eliminate him but you have been invaded by the Oniwaban and our bait stolen along with the only person who knows how to make Spider Web. Furthermore, your quite intelligent and skilled bodyguards have left your employment and joined the enemy. This is highly unlike you, Kanryu."

_Spider Web,_ Yahiko thought numbly. _How could Father...?_ He had seen the effects of the drug that had been ravaging his father's lands for the past few years and had railed against those who made and sold it; in fact, Yahiko had once uncovered an opium ring and with the full permission of his father had executed those involved. Now to discover...

"_We will leave tomorrow to visit Kanryu on The Rising Sun, Yahiko," Motonori had stated over a quiet cup of tea. "Although you have said nothing about the Battousai, I see the questions in your eyes. It is time you know why I have ordered his elimination and also time that you see your inheritance and know the legacy your father has carved for himself and you as well. My line will last for a thousand generations, and you will finally see why." _

Yahiko had boarded their fleet vessel with a troubled heart. Honor, loyalty, and complete obedience to his lord had been drilled into him from birth as harshly as sword lessons, and his father had always been as a god in his eyes: wise, brave, and benevolent to those in his care. But as Yahiko grew to young manhood, the stark realities of life had brought some uncomfortably revelations about his father that, try as he might, he could not overlook. The nature of Tsubame's arrival to Aomori and the imposed death sentence on Battousai had greatly angered him and deeply shook his confidence in his father. But nothing had prepared him for...

"_Here is your future, my son," Motonori emptied his hand into his son's open palm. Little triangles of wrapped paper fell into Yahiko's hand, their corners pricking at his skin as he stared at them in horror. They were in Kanryu's lavishly appointed waiting room, their guards posted at the door. _

"_Father...is, is this...?" Yahiko said, not bringing himself to touch one of the packets. _

"_Spider Web, yes it is."_

_The tiny triangles slipped from Yahiko's fingers as his body froze. _

_Motonori laughed. "Careful, my son, you are throwing your fortune away." _

"_Father!" Yahiko cried out. "How..."_

"_Spider Web is lucratively profitable," Motonori responded. He bent and scooped the packages up. "This is your future, right here." Firmly he grasped his son's hand and forced the packets back into it. Yahiko, in shock, did not resist and he was still staring at them dumbfounded when Kanryu swooped into the room, smiling. _

Motonori's eyes swiveled back to Yahiko and his frown deepened, "Yahiko, keep up with us," he commanded and Yahiko forced his feet to move more quickly. Turning back to Kanryu, Motonori's voice grew harsh. "You assured me that you could eliminate the Battousai, yet you managed to lose your only bargaining chip to engaging him. How do you expect to carry out your mission?"

"We have an Oniwaban prisoner," Kanryu replied smoothly. "And she..."

"I have no interest in the Oniwaban," Motonori curtly brushed him aside.

"Yes, but they took our little pet with them and if I'm not much mistaken, she'll convince the Battousai to try to rescue the prisoner. Kamiya's like that, I know her kind: brave, foolish, and determined to save everyone." Kanryu's voice set Yahiko on edge as he thought of Tsubame's friend. Tsubame had spoken very warmly of her bodyguard, and Yahiko was inclined to like and respect the young woman who had acted so bravely on his wife's behalf.

"And the opium woman?" Motonori growled.

"With the Oniwaban. She'll be relatively easy to retrieve once they and the Battousai are eliminated and we can resume production of Spider Web." Kanryu's voice was light and confident.

"You sound sure of this," Motonori stated heavily. "Be warned that I do not take failure lightly."

"Neither do I, Lord Motonori," Kanryu replied cheerfully. "Bad for business, you know." He laughed a pleased chuckle. "But come, on to more interesting and amusing matters! The new models are ready for your viewing pleasure. This way."

The two lords followed their host through the walkways and halls of the airship, their guards treading behind them until Kanryu opened the large bay door and pulled it back with a flourish. "Come! Come see!"

Yahiko stepped warily into the room and stopped as if he had just walked into a tree. _Mecs. No. __**No**__. It cannot be. _Rows of them, immobile and quietly menacing, their inhuman eyes staring fixedly ahead. Yahiko had heard of mecs and had encountered a few in battle but not this, not the battalions lined up, prepared to wreck pain and agony on the world below. Heavily outlawed, incredibly powerful, ruinously expensive. The ultimate battle weapon. And Motonori was looking them over with an apprising eye and discussing specifications with Kanryu as if purchasing mecs were nothing unusual.

_Father, what is this you have done? _

* * *

Ghost-like, Aoshi slipped silently through the dark, cavernous engine room. Late night was slowly giving way to the very early hours of the morning. _It is almost time,_ he thought to himself. The room was manned, but the sailors were moving in a sleepy, end-of-shift manner and the airship was quiet; Aoshi had no difficulty avoiding detection.

Across the room, the Okashira could sense Misao's presence as she moved silently among the other engines, and the faintest whisper of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. _She has grown strong in the two years I have been away,_ Aoshi thought to himself. The child he had left behind had grown into a young woman and her bright, determined _chi_ was palpable. _I must teach her to mask that_, he resolved to himself. It explained why there had been odd moments on _The Rising Sun_ that Aoshi had caught glimmers of a strange, yet familiar energy that he had not been able to trace. The faint smile returned as he thought, _You have learned well, Misao_.

A thump of feet warned him that someone was approaching, and Aoshi drew back into the shadows, casting a veil of nothingness around himself. A sailor with a small lamp passed close enough that the Okashira could hear his breathing but the man looked straight towards Aoshi's area without a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Aoshi did not wish to be seen and it was a simple matter of convincing any passer-byes that there was nothing in this particular dark corner worth their attention. The sailor walked by, his tired feet shuffling away, clearly intent on food and a bed at the end of his shift. Aoshi waited a moment, then slipped forward again, poised, waiting, watching.

* * *

Darkness was fading away to a soft gray pre-dawn, but the clouds lay sullen, hanging heavily in the humid air. _The Black Avenger_ moved quietly through the piling clouds close enough for Battousai to track it by _chi_ sense and not by sight, for there was little to see in the thick gray gloom ahead of them. _Nearly time_, he thought to himself. At his side, Kaoru stood quietly, her face set with determination and behind them were his men and the Oniwaban. Sano and Megumi stood side-by-side, Sano with an arm draped protectively over the doctor's shoulders, and Okina's feet were planted on the deck, his arms folded across his chest and grimness written on his face. The pirates and the Oniwaban had weapons in hand, and the entire ship held its breath in anticipation.

Time hung suspended, every second as long as an hour as_ The Black Avenger _sailed endlessly through the dark clouds. Eyes were trained on the horizon, but a rumbling growl of distant thunder caught the attention of everyone. The men were itching with impatience, and Battousai could feel waves of tension rolling around the ship. Not too far away, a pirate was absentmindedly tapping the butt of his sheath on the deck in a nervous rhythm until Battousai cast his glowing amber eyes at him. The man froze, swallowing in fear.

Time crawled past and finally the first shimmer of dawn appeared on the cloudy horizon. Battousai nodded at Okina and the previously motionless men sprang into well-ordered but quiet activity.

* * *

A cannon blast struck _The Rising Sun_, sending alarms blaring and shaking men out of their bunks. The night watch had not quite ended, and the sailors on duty were dragging with tiredness while the other sailors were still asleep. Aoshi moved forward smoothly towards Engine 1. Wire cutters in hand, his nimble fingers quickly severed three of the main wires and the engine sputtered. Quickly, he unscrewed one of the covers bolted over the engine and pulled it aside to reveal the inner fuel chamber pump buried deep in a tangle of gears and wires. With a quick twist of his wrists, he disconnected the entire unit and pulled it free, then replaced the cover, hiding the sabotage. In their hurried inspections, the sailors would see the cut wires and replace them, not realizing that there was further damage inside. That would slow them down.

The entire operation had taken maybe fifteen seconds, but every millisecond was precious. The ship was suddenly alive with activity, and Aoshi's finely trained senses warned him that more sailors were pouring into the engine room by the second. Across the room, Misao was disabling Engine 7. Aoshi flowed silently to Engine 3 and repeated the damage, then seized both fuel pumps and slipped away. More sailors thundered into the room as the ship shuddered and the working engines began whining in panic, suddenly overburdened as their three companions were rendered disabled. More overhead lights snapped on, and the room became noisy with running feet and panicked yells.

_Come, Misao_, Aoshi reached out and within a few seconds felt a familiar presence at his side. She was holding a greasy fuel pump in her hands and her eyes were glowing with mischief and triumph. Like shadows, the two slipped across the room, adroitly avoiding sailors and mechanics who were beginning to cluster around the three damaged engines, shouting out curses and questions. The two Oniwaban deposited their cargo in an empty crate tucked away in a dark corner and made their way out of the engine room to join their companions.

* * *

_The Rising Sun_ shuddered, lurching drunkenly to the left as its nose dipped downward and it began to drop towards the ground below while _The Black Avenger _rained down volleys. Slipping in and out of the thick clouds, the pirate ship was a dark blur in the pale light of dawn and Kanryu's ship, thrown into a disorganized panic by the engine failure, was having difficulty responding. Cannon doors slid open but the gunners had trouble finding anything to shoot at besides clouds.

Kanryu stood in the bridge, his green overcoat wrapped hastily around his sleeping clothes and his hair tousled. He had fallen out of bed with the first cannon blast and had rushed to the bridge to be met with a flurry of reports and chaos. The ship was lurching drunkenly towards the ground and the pilot was screaming commands through the intercom as other officers rushed around the bridge and an unending stream of reports flooded the intercom.

Fielding a volley of information, Kanryu looked up and groaned as the powerful figure of Motonori and his son burst into the bridge and strode towards them like an earthquake.

"Kanryu! What is the meaning of all this?" Motonori bellowed as the ship shuddered again under a strong blast from _The Black Assassin_, sending the bridge's occupants staggering sideways.

Clinging to a chair, Kanryu tried to respond confidently, "It seems we have found the Battousai!"

"It seems he is trying to blow us out of the sky and that we are rapidly falling to the ground!" Motonori thundered.

"Sir! We're at 900 feet and falling!" an officer announced.

"Engine failure in 1, 3, 7 and now 4!" a voice screamed over the intercom. "All hands prepare for emergency landing!" An enormous crash signaled something heavy falling across the deck as valves popped and snapped and the emergency alarm blared loudly.

Another crash sent the ship lurching to the right, and Kanryu found himself nearly falling at the daimyo's feet. Grabbing a fistful of his overcoat, Motonori jerked Kanryu upright and pulled him close to his enraged face. "Get us down alive. That is an order. I will deal with the Battousai myself." He flung Kanryu away from himself and looked at his son. Yahiko's face was calm and grim and he returned the look his father gave him.

"Let this be a lesson for you, my son," Motonori spoke over the screaming of engines. "It is best doing extremely important duties yourself so that you know they are successfully completed." Yahiko nodded, then gripped the table harder as the ship suddenly dropped a hundred feet without warning.

Lurching and staggering downward, _The Rising Sun_ fell through the thick air, Kanryu's sailors doing everything in their power to keep it from free-falling but they were down to four engines which simply could not keep the heavy ship aloft. The ground eagerly rushed up to meet them as the airship plowed heavily towards the earth.

The ship's prow buried itself in the ground, tearing through trees and digging a deep furrow through the earth as the rest of the ship joined it on the ground. Wood splintered as small explosions rocked the airship. Men were thrown back and forth, bashed against the walls and shredded to pieces as flying shrapnel cut through the air. Like a tsunami, the ship roared over the land, engines squealing and spars shattering under pressure. Finally with an enormous tearing of steel and wood, the ship cracked down the middle, bowing under the pressure as the front half jerked off at a right angle, its innards spilling outward onto the grass while bodies, equipment and broken metal flew out.

_The Black Avenger _was hot on their trail, sailing down to the ground as _The Rising Sun_ came to a shuddering rest on the ground, spewing smoke angrily. Kaoru watched it with a sinking heart. _Misao. Aoshi. Are you okay?_ she thought frantically but there was little time to worry about her friends' safety. They had to attack while _The Rising Sun_ was still a confused mass of chaos on the ground. No time to let Kanryu rally his men.

Before _The Black Avenger_ had even touched down properly, Battousai leapt from his ship and charged forward across the wet grass with his men and the Oniwaban following. Sano touched Kaoru's shoulder and smiled at her. "Ready for this, Little Missy?"

"Let's go," Kaoru said and she and Sano followed the swarm of pirates and Oniwaban members. The element of surprise was on their side and they had no time to waste.

Survivors from _The Rising Sun's_ crash were lifting their heads and reaching for weapons when a maelstrom hit them, a whirl of red hair and flying sword, slicing and cutting his way through them with deadly accuracy. Screams and alarms clanged across the ship as Kanryu's men shook themselves and fell into attack positions. Mecs stirred to life, crawling out from under the rubble and striding forward to meet the Battousai and his men as they swarmed the ship.

* * *

Aoshi unwrapped himself from around Misao. He had shielded her from the worst of the damage during the crash and aside from a bruise on her cheek, she was unharmed. Nodding at her, he said, "We must go join our companions."

She nodded back and reached for her knives as Aoshi's hand clenched around one of his kodatchi. The two slipped through the chaos to the very heart of the storm where Battousai raged like a battle god.

* * *

Inside the bridge, Motonori and Yahiko staggered forward, Yahiko clenching a bleeding arm and Motonori shaking his head to clear his eyes. One of their bodyguards was down and groaning, but the rest were relatively unharmed. Jerking his head at them, he ordered, "We will go meet the Battousai. I have longed to cross swords with him and we will see to it that he no longer troubles the skies."

Yahiko nodded and ordered his legs to move him forward. The jarring crash of this ship was still shaking him and his vision felt strangely blurry but he ordered his body to behave. Pushing aside the partially shattered door, Motonori charged forward into the chaotic hallway towards the sound of screaming battle.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note: Epic battle! Do you know how hard it is coming up with suitably manly, impressive synonyms for "said" and "moved"? It's kinda hard writing a battle scene without using the same verbs over and over again. The sad thing is that the English language has about half a million words at its disposal, so there should be no excuse for running out of words. Anyway, expect one more chapter after this one to wrap up this rousing steampunk samurai story, and let me know what you think! **

Men poured from the ruined airship as smoke belched thickly from its innards and oily liquids oozed across the grass, mixing with blood, vomit, and spilled intestines. Battousai and his fighters had attacked _The Rising Sun_ before it had had fully come to a stop after its crash landing, and many of the sailors inside the ship were still trying to regain their senses and check for injuries. But there was little time to rally and reach for weapons for Battousai was among them, a violent tsunami of deadly steel; his enemies fell before they could stagger to their feet and stumble forward to meet him, and the Oniwaban and Battousai's sailors were hot on his trail and hungry for blood.

Kanryu was screaming commands through the half-destroyed intercom system as mecs pushed through the rubble to get to the battlefield and the daimyo and his son charged through the corridors, dodging and leaping over wreckage and lifeless bodies with their guards right behind them. Aoshi and Misao sliced their way through the teeming hallways as the sailors realized the two Oniwaban were enemies and surged forward to cut them down, Aoshi's kodachi two blurs of shining steel and Misao's daggers flying like shrapnel through the air. Kaoru and Sano were at the head of the attacking army, close behind Battousai, and the sailors of Kanryu who managed to avoid the assassin's infamous katana were spilling across the damp grass to meet them. Thick clouds rolled threateningly overhead and the sound of battle filled the heavy air.

* * *

_Too slow, too slow! _Battousai's voice roared in his head. _You may have power but you have no speed. You will not withstand me, you perversion of nature! _Two more mecs collapsed instantly at his feet, cut wires hissing in fruitless defiance as the abominations of flesh and gears fell to the ground. Instantly, Battousai was charging forward to meet his next opponents, god-like speed giving him wings and upholding the legend of the demon of Kyoto. Yet even in the furious heat of battle, his mind was clear, alert for his surrounding beyond the knot of frantic battle happening around him. _Mecs. Sailors. No Gatling guns. Were they destroyed in the crash? _he thought.

Seven sailors charged forward, eyes blazing with blood lust. They died from a single swipe of the deadly katana in Battousai's hand. _Is Kanryu having trouble bringing the Gatling gun to the battlefield? _Around him was the frantic thump of hundreds of different _chi_ patterns: living, dying, panicking, fighting. He could sense Kaoru's bright energy in the distance, determined and intent on battle. _She's alive. Stay that way,_ he commanded as he easily dodged a mec, striking its head from its neck as he flew around it and sent it crashing to the ground. Blood pooled thickly on the earth, mixing with fuel leaking from _The Rising Sun_ and lubricants from the mecs Battousai felled. And then, energy he did not anticipate, a presence he was not expecting.

Battousai's vision narrowed, eyes trained on a familiar figure striding boldly towards him. The two men faced each other over the crowded, chaotic field. The rest of the battle faded away as they sized each other up, alert for the slightest of muscle changes, merest flux of _chi_. What was once master and servant was now warrior against warrior, each one intent on the other's death.

Motonori spoke first. "Battousai, I had hoped one day to face you in battle. Here at last, I have my wish."

"Motonori," Battousai's voice was frozen diamond. "In my last act of service to you, I will remove your head from your shoulders so that your body no longer has to bear the shame of your betrayal and rape of Japan."

"No, Battousai," Motonori gave a hard laugh. "It is I who will give you my final gift as your lord: a quick death, far more than you deserve, _assassin_."

"By your command, I have killed," Battousai's voice rolled like thunder. "Yet you have killed far more than I and for your own selfish gain. You will never leave this field alive. I do not give up what is mine, and my duty is to Japan and to protect her from men like you. I will execute that duty with my blade to your neck."

"Fine words!" Motonori cried harshly. "Let us see if you can speak them as eloquently with your sword!" With that, the two men flew at each other as a shaft of sunlight broke through the dark clouds and illuminated the shining steel of their blades.

* * *

The crazed heat of battle had driven away the pain as Yahiko forgot his bleeding shoulder, throwing himself at the attacking ranks of Oniwaban and Battousai's men. He had followed his father closely and had charged out onto the battlefield with their bodyguards, only to be swarmed by the advancing horde of attackers. His father had strode forward boldly to meet Battousai, leaving Yahiko and his bodyguards behind to clear the scene and keep the attackers at bay so that the two men could duel.

The bodyguards were excellent warriors but had been significantly thrown around and battered by the crash and were not fighting at their full strength. One by one, the Oniwaban began picking them off until Yahiko was left with only two at his side. Grimly fighting off three Oniwaban, Yahiko was torn between fighting for his life and keeping a frantic eye on the small clearing where his father was battling with Battousai. Yahiko was still rolling in confusion and grief at the extent of his father's secrets and the evil he had unleashed on Japan, but blood ties run deep and Motonori was his father. He could not, would not let his father die, not at the hands of Battousai.

An Oniwaban member crumbled to the ground, grimly clutching a deep wound to his chest, and Yahiko raised his sword for a killing blow. Yet as steel sliced downward, it was met by another blade. Instinctively, Yahiko reacted, leaping backwards and avoiding the second kodachi that swung at him faster than a lightning strike. Dodging and rolling, Yahiko straightened up to face his attacker, a tall, dark-haired man with a young woman at his side about Kaoru's age. The woman tensed and a handful of knives appeared in her fingers but the man stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Leave this one to me, Misao," the man said quietly. "He may be young but his _chi_ is strong." Yahiko's two remaining bodyguards charged forward, but fell in a bloody heap, leaving the man standing and staring at Yahiko with cold eyes for one brief moment, then like a winged shadow, he flew at Yahiko. The two kodachi were everywhere; Yahiko fought with every ounce of strength and skill that he possessed, but he knew almost instantly that he could not withstand his attacker for long. The man was too fast, seeming to split himself into many copies that surrounded Yahiko so that he could not tell which was the real person.

A blade flashed and Yahiko dodged, just in time to elude certain death but not enough to avoid a deep cut slicing across his arm. Cat-like, he whipped around, the man following him closely but as the man rushed forward, he suddenly stopped and gave a gasp of pain, leaping away: Yahiko had seized the severed limb of a fallen mec, still twitching with electricity, and had shoved the sparking wires into the man's leg as he raced towards Yahiko.

Jumping lightly several feet away, the man landed in a crouch, then pulled himself to his full height, his eyes flickering with pain but also glowing faintly with a strange approval. "You _are_ strong," he said quietly. "I was right not to underestimate you." The kodachi whipped around, settling in position.

Yahiko pulled himself to his feet, feeling blood oozing down his arm as he gritted his teeth. But as he faced his opponent, across the man's shoulder in the area where Battousai and the daimyo raged, Yahiko saw his father spasm violently, then explode into a volcano of blood, his body sinking reluctantly towards the ground as both hands reached out angrily towards the red-headed assassin who stood posed and silent, staring at his defeated foe with battle-violent eyes.

Abandoning the tall man and forgetting everything else, Yahiko charged forward towards Battousai, rage and grief consuming him, blotting out all desire except the overwhelming demand for vengeance. Battousai stood to meet him, blazing golden eyes cutting through his oncoming opponent, but as Yahiko roared over the blood-slick grounds, leaping nimbly over fallen bodies and mecs, a heart-rendering clatter of metal roared across the battlefield.

A bullet buried itself in Yahiko's leg as metal rained down around them, fighters collapsing to the ground. With a leap, both Battousai and Yahiko dove for safety behind a broken engine. Yahiko hit the dirt and immediately ripped his tanto out of his obi, intent on revenge.

A hard hand clamped down on his, forcing the tanto back in its sheath. "I have no quarrel with you," the assassin growled.

Yahiko fought back violently, consuming with the desire to kill the man at his side and they both struggled behind the engine as the Gatling gun sent bullets whining over their heads and thudding into the engine. "You killed my father!" Yahiko cried out. "I will destroy you, Battousai!"

Battousai tore the tanto from Yahiko's hand and flung it away. Glaring violently at the young man, he snarled, "Then I will fight you but not while we are both targets of the Gatling gun."

"Kanryu's in my father's employment!" Yahiko spat out. "Those bullets are for _you_, Battousai!"

"_Think_, Yahiko!" Battousai's voice rose over the chatter of the gun. "Those bullets were aimed at both of us and one found your leg."

"No!" Yahiko roared. "Kanryu is under my control now!" Breaking free of Battousai, Yahiko rolled away and stumbled forward, screaming over the noise of battle. "Kanryu, stop! Stop, I command you!" The Gatling gun paused momentarily, but Yahiko was suddenly vividly aware that the rotating barrels of the gun was swinging right towards his heart and through the reeking, smoky air, he could see Kanryu's demented grin fixed on him.

The world spun and whirled and Yahiko found himself caught up and swept out of the way, wrapped in the arms of the man he hated most in the world: Battousai had pulled him out of the path of danger and back behind the engine. Appalled and furious, Yahiko kicked free and punched hard at the assassin who blocked it and jerked the young man's wrist around in a vicious lock.

"Get control of yourself, boy!" Battousai snarled. "Kanryu is your enemy now, too. You can fight him by yourself or you can join me and my men and when this battle is over, I will face you in a duel if you demand it. But for now, we both have a Gatling gun and an army of mecs to defeat. Make your choice."

A volley of metal flew overhead, and Battousai thoughts drew to Kaoru. He could still sense her _chi_ but in the chaos of battle it was becoming difficult to track her energy. _Keep fighting. I'm coming for you,_ he breathed back as Yahiko's jaw set and he nodded tersely.

"I will fight by your side," Yahiko stated harshly. "But make no mistake, Battousai. You and I will meet again after this battle, and I will take your head as a decoration for my father's grave."

Battousai gave a curt jerk of his head. "Then I will fight you after this battle. But first we both have a mutual enemy to defeat. Are you ready?"

Furious but reluctantly compliant, Yahiko nodded again and both men charged out from behind the engine.

* * *

_Too many of them,_ Kaoru thought frantically. Sano's fists were punching gigantic holes through the ranks of Kanryu's men and her katana was slippery with blood, but their fellow fighters were being steadily eliminated while Kanryu's battalions kept advancing forwards as if an inexhaustible supply of them was lurking inside the ship. Most of the sailors were wearing heavy body modification, making them difficult to kill, but it was the mecs that were the hardest to overcome, walls of advancing steel that were like holding back a hurricane. As Kaoru and Sano wove and sliced their way across the field, an all-too-familiar scream of flying metal caught their ears.

"The Gatling gun!" Sano roared over the screams of the dying. "Be careful, Missy!"

"I'm trying to be!" Kaoru yelled. Despite the chaos, panic and rolling confusion, a single, clear, sarcastic thought of _Oh great, the Gatling gun. Gee, why doesn't it start raining to make things really interesting?_ managed to flit across her mind. As if reading her thoughts, the heavy clouds sighed and began letting loose fat droplets of water that mixed with the blood on the ground and turned the battlefield into a slick mess.

"I didn't mean it!" Kaoru hollered at the universe in general. In response, more mecs surged forward. Battousai's fighters had taken out many of Kanryu's men, but the mecs were crawling across the battlefield in an unstoppable wall of metal and try as they might, Kaoru and her fellow fighters could not hold back the tide of moving steel and inhuman flesh.

"This is bad, Sano!" Kaoru called out to her battle buddy as she ducked and dodged a modified sailor who had a sword attached to his metal arm and was swinging it like a butter knife.

"Hang in there, Missy! Battousai will get to the gun!" Sano called back and helpfully punched the sailor out for her, then they both raced forward towards the next attackers.

* * *

Battousai was certainly trying to get to the Gatling gun, but it was currently very intent on filling him full of metal which made disabling it rather difficult. Using the god-like speed of Hiten Mitsurugi, Battousai was everywhere at once, leaping out of the way of the incoming bullets while Kanryu's demented cackle filled the air. But Battousai had marked it and was waiting for his opportunity, counting the shots, luring Kanryu into emptying his chambers, dodging, ducking.

_Time's up_, he thought as the clang of aerodynamic metal stopped and the gun clicked dryly, the empty bullet chamber rattling with sound of blank shots. Already Kanryu's men were rushing forward with fresh rounds but the pause was enough for Battousai to tear across the field towards the Gatling gun, his eyes fixed on Kanryu's.

_Coward_, he thought as Kanryu's face registered abject terror and horror, his mouth frozen in a scream as Battousai's sword sliced through the Gatling gun, severing the barrels in two and with fatal swiftness, sending Kanryu's head flying across the battlefield as his body sagged against the gun. Kanryu's men abandoned the bullets and fled, screaming for their lives, but Battousai did not follow. _Both enemies dead. But, _the pirate assassin paused, eyes sweeping the chaotic field before him, _The battle is not over yet, I think. _

Battousai was right. With both of their leaders dead, Kanryu's men were still fighting but the battle had turned to a melee, mecs plowing methodically through their enemies while the remainder of Kanryu's men attacked anything that moved. The Oniwaban and Battousai's men had sustained heavy losses but were fighting with spirit and determination. However, mecs continued to pour out of the ship in unstoppable waves, and the fighters of _The Black Avenger _were being slowly driven back.

Grimly, Battousai abandoned Kanryu's lifeless body and plunged back into the chaos of the battlefield. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aoshi, a blur of deadly steel with Misao's daggers flying at his side. The rain was pattering down on everything, making the ground underfoot treacherous as his fighters warred against the unholy steel and living dead men that advanced towards them endlessly. Mec after mec fell under Battousai's blade but it seemed that for every one he killed, three more lumbered forward to take its place.

A yell caught his attention, "Battousai!" Yahiko called out. He was heavily engaged in fighting off two sailors so thickly encased in body modification that they looked like mecs. Battousai cut his way across the field towards Yahiko as the younger man bellowed. "These mecs!...they're linked!" A metal head went flying as Yahiko's sword cut through it and he leaped out of the way of its falling body. "Squadron...leaders...look for...red...red light!" Two more mecs thundered towards Battousai; he felled them quickly and his sharp eyes scanned the battlefield narrowly.

_There_. Treading heavily across the mud was a flank of five mecs. Through the wet air, Battousai could just glimpse a tiny red light flickering on the chest of one of the mecs as the rain pinged off its metal body. He charged forward, ignoring the other mecs as they turned to intercept him, saving his blade for the one that Yahiko had marked.

The mec went down in a twisted pile of hissing wires and splattering fluids and as it fell to the ground in a heavy thump, the other four stopped instantly, becoming motionless. A grim smile twitched across Battousai's blood-splattered face. _Good. Now Kanryu, your game is up_. Spotting Aoshi battling violently with Misao at his side as they fended off both mecs and sailors, Battousai charged across the field to meet them. Dodging the other mecs, he marked the one with the red light and destroyed it, sending its severed body flying across the muddy ground. Again the other mecs stopped instantly, leaving only the suddenly terrified sailors to duel with the Okashira. They died quickly.

"Aoshi! Destroy each mec that has a red light on its chest!" Battousai ordered. Aoshi's sharp eyes quickly scanned the fallen mec and the motionless ones that stood frozen as statues and understood instantly.

Nodding, Aoshi said, "I will. Misao." The two turned as one and plunged into the heart of the battle.

* * *

Blood ran down Karou's forehead, stinging her eyes as rain dripped from her hair, mingling with the sweat pouring down her face. The world narrowed and tunneled, the entire earth compressed to the small patch of slippery ground where she battled for her life, adrenaline racing in her veins, giving her strength. Years of training were built into every muscle and they responded smoothly, moving independently of her mind as she stabbed and ducked, cut and wove, slicing through enemy after enemy. But the advancing horde was unstoppable, sailors and mecs continuing to gouge their way across the field and her companions were falling around her. Sano had abandoned his fists in favor of an enormous sword one of the mecs had carried, and he was whipping around himself like the propeller blades of an airship. The Oniwaban closed ranks, fighting to stay alive with Battousai's men, and Kaoru felt fear running in her veins.

An enormous mec crashed towards her, and Kaoru instinctively lifted her blade to defend herself from the sword it carried. As the heavy metal blade descended, Kaoru's sword broke cleanly, the top half flying through the air as the mec's other arm swung around, striking Kaoru right in the solar plexus. Kaoru rolled across the ground and fell in an ungainly heap, gasping in pain and shock as the air was knocked out of her lungs and her eyes looked in horror at the broken sword in her hand. _No! My father's blade! I can't_...but with surprising speed, the mec was bearing down on her, sword raised to cut her in two as Kaoru tried to kick herself away from danger, sliding across the mud on legs numb and shaking.

The blade descended in a fatal arc; as if in slow motion, Kaoru watched it sail towards her with a curious detachment, calmly seeing her own destruction approach her. But a whirl of shining red hair and violently glowing amber eyes had her, was bearing her out of the path of danger and the hot scent of ginger filled her senses as his hard arms held her close. Setting her down out of the way of the mec's sword, Battousai was on it instantly. It felt, cloven in two, and Battousai ignored the others, racing for the one with the red light.

The mecs around them stopped instantly as Battousai sliced through their leader and then bellowed out, "Sano! Protect Kaoru and destroy any mec you see with a red light on its chest. That will stop the others!"

Sano gaged the situation instantly, his eyes taking in the fallen mec and the ones that had suddenly stopped, and called back, "Got it!" but Battousai was already whirling away. Aoshi and Misao had taken his commands to heart because the battlefield was already being littered with the frozen statues of immobile mecs. Word spread across the field and the Oniwaban and Battousai's men charged forward, picking off the squadron leaders while they continued to fight off Kanryu's sailors. With more and more mecs freezing in place, Kanryu's remaining sailors quickly lost heart. Many abandoned their weapons and fled the field but others dropped their swords and guns and plead for mercy. Within minutes that seemed like hours, the battle was over.

The rain was coming down in earnest now, mingling with the blood and debris of battle and sending bloody rivers pouring across the saturated grounds. Bodies, flesh and mechanical, lay everywhere and littering the field were the frozen, immobile mecs standing like monuments to some deity of steel and gears. It was done.

Sano, half-supporting, half-carrying Kaoru helped her pick her way through the mud and shattered bodies as the victors moved forward, converging on a red-haired figure that stood, bloody sword clenched in his hand and staring grimly at the bleeding, lank-haired young man crouched on the ground.

* * *

Carefully, Yahiko moved his hand over his father's face, closing the proud eyes to the world. "You fought bravely, Father. You died a warrior's death. It is what you wanted. Go in peace to our ancestors." Rain streamed across his face like tears, but Yahiko's eyes were dry. The fatigue of battle and pain of his wounds were giving him precise clarity of mind and every sense was filled with a keen awareness. He could sense Battousai closing in on him, but the assassin's _chi_ was not intent on attack. Rather, it was waiting, watchful, still as the dawn.

_Your move, boy. I am here and the battle is over. What do you want? _Battousai thought. He stood in the rain, tense and waiting. The younger man rose smoothly to his feet but he did not turn around to face the assassin. The two men stood frozen, neither speaking nor moving, as immobile as the mecs standing motionless on the battlfield. Finally Yahiko broke the silence.

"My father left a legacy for me," he said quietly as his right hand clenched firmly at his side. "There are...elements I do not take pride in." The hand opened and tiny triangles of wrapped paper fell out of it, falling to the mud.

Battousai said nothing, waiting for Yahiko to continue. Still keeping his back to the pirate lord, the young man was quiet for several long moments. Finally turning to face Battousai, he said in a tight, controlled voice, "Himura Kenshin, in recognition of your many years of service to my father, I grant you 24 hours of free passage through my skies to anywhere you wish. But if your ship ever darkens my land again, I will devote all my resources to hunting you down and destroying you in vengeance for my father's death."

"Agreed," Battousai rumbled.

Aoshi and Misao had approached the knot of victors and were standing silently by Battousai's side. Turning slightly towards them, Yahiko said, "You are Shinomori Aoshi, Okashira of the Oniwaban?"

"I am," Aoshi responded.

"To you and the Oniwaban, I also extend this boon, 24 hours to leave my lands forever if you wish to keep your lives. When 24 hours have ended, you too are my mortal enemies and I will destroy you if you tarry in my lands."

Aoshi nodded. Letting his hard eyes fall on Kaoru, Yahiko said tightly, "For your services to my wife, I thank you, Kamiya Kaoru. But I will not forget that you fought against my father and myself." Moving his eyes to Battousai, Yahiko intoned, "Battousai, you regained the prize that you claimed from my father. Guard her well for when 24 hours have passed, she too will be my enemy."

Battousai's hand clamped across Kaoru's unwounded shoulder. "I will," he said firmly.

Yahiko's eyes darkened. "I will burn this ship and everything in it so that no further supplies of opium or mecs corrupt my people. And I will burn across my land with my soldiers, eliminating any trace of mecs or opium so that even the memory of them is wiped from Aomori."

Battousai nodded and a gleam of approval cooled the blazing amber of his eyes, "Rule them well, Lord Yahiko and never forget what has happened here."

The two men locked glances and for a moment vengeance and hatred were set aside as both looked on the other as a worthy foe, deserving of respect. But Yahiko's eyes dropped to his father's lifeless body and anger returned.

The whine of propellers drew eyes and ears upwards and through the thick clouds dropped a fleet ship bearing the insignia of Motonori and sweeping the battlefield with confused, worried motions.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's note: some of you expressed a little disappointment with the ending of the last chapter; hopefully this clarifies some things and leaves the story on a better note! As promised, here is the final chapter of **_**Airship Assassin**_**; it's been a blast! Thank you all for your comments and feedback and look for more upcoming RK fanfict! Please read and review this last chapter and let me know what you think!**

Propellers hummed as _The Black Avenger _sailed towards the setting sun: the dark clouds and rain had given way to a brilliant sunset of glorious colors that surrounded the ship with stunning beauty. Learning against Battousai's strong chest, Kaoru felt exhaustion steal over her limbs as the effects of a strenuous battle began to set in. The stitches in her shoulder were pulling uncomfortably and her entire middle was swollen and painful to the touch, her abdomen still recovered from the serious blow it had absorbed. But she was alive and so was Battousai, and they had won their fight.

_Still..._Sighing tiredly, she let her head droop against the pirate lord's shoulder.

"Kaoru?" he said inquiringly.

She sighed again. "Well...we won." Misao had been returned to them, Kanryu and Motonori had been defeated, and the new daimyo of Aomori had promised to wipe out the scourge of mecs and Spider Web from his land. But the victory tasted curiously flat and held little joy. Instead of elation and relief, Kaoru felt numb exhaustion, confusion, and a pressing sense of _What happens next? _

Battousai must have intuited her inner conflict because he responded gently. "Lord Yahiko made the best decision he could, considering the circumstances. Motonori was his father and his son will always honor and respect him, despite what decisions the daimyo made in his life. Thus Yahiko could not overlook the killing of his father, nor grant the one who struck him down free pardon. However, the young lord is a just man who recognized that his father had committed great atrocities. Therefore he chose not to punish the one who brought deserved justice to Motonori. It was a good and fair decision that bodes well for Lord Yahiko's future leadership abilities. I am content."

"But..." Kaoru started, then paused. "I won't ever be able to see Tsubame again," she said regretfully. Kaoru had missed her friend deeply, and it pained her to know that she would not even be able to say goodbye. In fact, her kidnapping from the daimyo's residence had denied her the chance to say goodbye in any form to the young teenager she had come to care for deeply. Now it was too late.

Battousai's arms tightened around her as one hand began to stroke her hair comfortingly. Kaoru said nothing for awhile, letting her mind roam tiredly. Finally, she asked softly, "Kenshin, I can't...I can't go home ever again, can I? Back to Hikone?"

"No, little one," Battousai responded gently. "Futaka Musashi has surely heard of what has taken place with Lady Tsubame, and he would not take kindly to what he would view as your failure to protect her, as erroneous as that perception is. Furthermore, Tsubame's...present circumstances are likely deeply embarrassing to Futaka. He has lost face, and his anger would fall on you. No, I will not permit you to return to Hikone."

Kaoru had expected this answer for many weeks and it came as no shock, but the finality of it hit hard. A few tears slid down her face as she leaned against Battousai, letting him cradle and sooth her. Long moments passed as both stood in silence, each pondering their own thoughts.

"So what happens next?" Kaoru said a last, a quaver of emotion still trembling in her voice.

Battousai did not respond at first, seeming to be totally occupied with twirling a strand of Kaoru's hair around his finger. But finally he said, "Lord Yahiko spoke strongly, and I have no doubt that he fully intends to eradicate both mecs and Spider Web from Aomori. However, he has set himself a difficult task. When word spreads that Motonori is no more, Lord Yahiko will find himself challenged by many who wish to test his resolve and see if his strength is equal to his father. Those that do will be eager to wrest power from the young lord should he show any weakness. In these upcoming months, Lord Yahiko will need to exert all his strength and determination into establishing his rule and ensuring that there are no challenges to his authority. While he is thus occupied, there will be many plotting for power and assembling their own mec armies, for there are many mecs in Japan. Also, though supplies of Spider Web will eventually be used up, I have no doubt that there are copious stockpiles of the drug which will continue to destroy lives for months to come. There also may be those who study the drug and are able to eventually replicate it."

Stroking her hair, Battousai rumbled in Kaoru's ear. "While Lord Yahiko will not accept our help and has made us his enemies, there is much that we can do to right what wrongs have been committed in Aomori."

"But Kenshin, you know what Yahiko said," Kaoru responded, her brow knitting in puzzlement. "We can't stay in Aomori."

"Yes, I know," Battousai said. "And he will hold to his word. Motonori Yahiko is one who will not bend his decisions once he has made his mind clear. Yet," a glimmer of a smile appeared on Battousai's face, "He cannot refuse our assistance if we give it unasked and evade his attempts to stop us. There are mecs and Spider Web in Aomori to destroy as well as those to stop who would attempt to wrestle power from the new daimyo. This we could accomplish quite well, particularly if the Oniwaban could be persuaded to join us."

"You would do this?" Kaoru said, feeling a tiny spark of elation rise up over the sadness clinging to her soul. Battousai looked down on her fondly, but Kaoru pushed away from him gently. Shaking herself free of his arms, she looked him firmly in the eye, searching their violet depths. "Kenshin, why? You killed Kanryu and Motonori, and Yahiko swore to hunt you down if you ever go back to Aomori. Why help him?"

Battousai returned her gaze, and she was keenly aware that grief and regret were beginning to swirl in his eyes. After a long moment, he said quietly, "Kaoru, I joined forces with Motonori Denjiro when I was quite young, not much older than Lady Tsubame. At that time, Aomori was being ripped apart by disease, famine, and invasion. The daimyo at the time was Mekikoto Sangara, a weak, indecisive ruler and under his feeble hand, Aomori was crumbling into ruin. When Motonori Denjiro overthrew Mekikoto, many hailed this as a blessing and indeed in many ways it was. Under Motonori's iron hand, Aomori became strong again and peace and prosperity reigned."

Battousai paused and seemed to cast about for what to say next. Kaoru watched, thinking to herself that this was the first time she had seen the pirate assassin at a loss for words. Uncertain was not a look he was accustomed to wearing, and Kaoru looked at him in surprise. Finally Battousai continued, "As I said, I was young. Before my master took me in at the age of nine, I watched my father exhaust himself tilling my family's barren farmland before he succumbed to cholera when I was seven. My mother starved herself to keep me alive before she finally died of malnutrition and I was sold to slave traders. When the traders' caravan was attacked, my master heard the noise and came to our aid, but I was the only one left. He brought me to his house to train in the way of the sword."

The uncertain look turned to something like shame. "But Aomori was still falling apart as Mekikoto grew weaker and weaker. When Motonori seized power, I was fourteen and I quickly became convinced that under his ruling, Aomori would know peace again and there would be an end to the suffering. Against the will of my master, I left his side to join with Motonori and fight for him. Under his command, I became Battousai, demon of the skies, raging across Japan."

Unconsciously, Battousai's hand clenched around his katana as his voice grew darker. "I was not entirely incorrect. Under Motonori, Aomori did become stable and peaceful once again, and the weight of blood on my sword seemed a small price to pay for the happiness and safety of the people who finally knew peace again. But as Motonori's power continued to increase, his desire for might only grew stronger. Yet he was cunning, able to cloak his ambition and manipulate those into doing his will."

"I have and always will loath killing, even if it is necessary," Battousai continued heavily. "Motonori assured me that my blade was carving a path of peace across Aomori and for a time, I was able to see the bloody fruit of my sword as order began emerging out of chaos, so I believed him. Yet a lust for power cannot be long hid. In the past few years, a growing disquiet had grown in my heart regarding Motonori, and I had begun to harbor suspicions that he had forgotten Aomori and only sought his own end."

Battousai frowned deeply. "I did not approve of the kidnapping of Lady Tsubame. It was dishonorable and underhanded, and I obeyed with reluctance and regret. And then," the smile turned wry, "you came," he said, looking at Kaoru. "I will never forget how you berated me the first night you were aboard my ship. You were injured, without your sword, and a captive of Battousai the manslayer, yet you were fearless before me and spoke harsh words that I could not dismiss, words that stayed in my thoughts. When _The Black Avenger_ was attacked by Kanryu's ship the first time, you saw clearly what I could only grasp in pieces. After we landed in Aomori and you and Lady Tsubame were taken into Motonori's house, I was deeply troubled by something within those walls that I could not name. You did not know it, but I was constantly uneasy that you were not by my side. Had I possessed even the slightest inkling that you had been targeted, I would have stormed the women's quarters and dragged you away from Tsubame and back to my ship. I should have never left you alone in that garden."

"But if you hadn't," Kaoru said, "Then you wouldn't have found out the truth about Motonori."

The hard scowl returned to Battousai's face, "The truth would have come to light eventually, for Motonori's true colors were beginning to be unveiled. Your kidnapping only brought the issue to sharp clarity sooner, and I rue the day it happened. You were placed in grave danger, and I was not there to protect you." He reached out and tucked a hand under her jaw. "That will never happen again, I swear it on my sword."

Kaoru reached her hand up to touch his, feeling the rough calluses under her fingers. "I know," she smiled. "Remember, you're the only one allowed to kidnap me, right?"

"Yes, bear that firmly in mind," he smiled back at her, but sadness was still clinging to the corners of his mouth. They both stood quietly for a time, then Kaoru returned to a former topic.

"Then we will fight for Lord Yahiko even if he doesn't want our help and try to make some sense of this mess Motonori left behind." Kaoru tried to straighten her tired back and ignore the pinched tightness of her shoulder. "I think I can persuade Aoshi and Misao to join us and bring the Oniwaban along too. Sano seems like the type who's up for a brawl anytime so he shouldn't be too hard to convince. And Megumi, well, someone's got to patch us up after fights. Also, she'll know what's Spider Web and hopefully how to lessen its effects. But..." Kaoru tucked a finger under her chin. "The problem is _The Black Avenger_ and you, Kenshin. If you're right and Yahiko's going to make good on his threat, than sailing around Aomori with this ship is not the best of ideas. The Battousai is too well-known around here."

"I seem to recall a certain pirate queen that struck fear into the hearts of an airship crew," Battousai smiled wickedly. "I have no doubt that they are spreading tales of their narrow escape and the murderous yet merciful beauty that raided their ship and left them quaking in their boots."

"Kenshin?" Kaoru said, looking at him in astonishment. "Do you mean..."

"What better banner to fly under?" Battousai continued to grin cunningly at Kaoru. "_The White Destroyer_ is unknown in these parts, save to a handful of people, and we can operate for a time without arousing too much suspicion. Eventually Lord Yahiko will make the connection and send his forces after us, but flying under your insignia will give us time to strike back against the evil that is infiltrating this land."

"I do still have that captain's hat, you know," Kaoru said thoughtfully.

"That ridiculous contraption?" Battousai growled. "I said we could fly under your banner, not that you could put that gigantic monstrosity back on."

"But Kenshin, if I'm going to be a pirate queen, I have to look the part, you know," Kaoru tried to look serious but her lips could not help curling up in a smile as she saw the mock-angry expression growing on Battousai's face.

"The boots and the belt, yes. The hat, no," he said firmly.

"The hat, yes. If I'm captain, what I say goes," Kaoru shot back.

"My pet, do not think for one moment that I am giving command of _my_ ship over to you," Battousai stepped closer, a glint of teasing amber gleaming around his irises as chills ran up Kaoru's spine. "We will fly under your insignia, but make not mistake, I am the captain of this airship. Have you forgotten what I told you? _I do not give up what is mine_." The heat of his body was setting her senses afire as he stood directly in front of her, eyes devouring her greedily, the scent of ginger filling the air. As he bore down on her, Kaoru tried to escape but Battousai corralled her and trapped her against the railing of the ship, pinning her hands as she twisted around, playfully trying to jerk loose and not having much success.

Not letting up on Kaoru's hands, Battousai leaned forward, eyes intent on her face and mouth dipping down to press against hers. But as he moved towards her, eyes closing in anticipation, Kaoru pulled her head back and said insistently, "I'm wearing that blasted hat and you can't stop me, Kenshin."

He paused, head poised over hers as his eyes opened and looked at her. Sighing, he said, "Very well, but only on one condition."

Kaoru pouted at him triumphantly. "And what's that?"

Battousai leaned heavily into her and she reveled in the feel of his strong body against hers. "That you marry me. That way I can take the damned thing off," a wicked gleam rose up in his eyes as his voice growled sinuously, "as well as everything else whenever I want, which, make no mistake my pet, will be quite often. Those are my terms, Kamiya Kaoru. Will you accept them?"

"You're asking me to parlay then?" Kaoru shot back, feeling excitement tear through her. She wanted to run around the ship screaming for joy, but Battousai held her in place with his arms and the hot, hungry look in his eyes.

"Yes, or prepare to be boarded," the pirate lord growled. "I will warn you, Battousai has never lost a battle. You will not withstand his attack for long. Surrendering would be wise at this point, pirate queen."

"Oh no, a good pirate queen never gives up without a fight," Kaoru grinned saucily up at him. "But seeing as I am currently not wearing my pirate queen hat, I suppose I'll have to make an exception. Just this once."

Battousai's laugh was like an earthquake. "My pet, there are many, many more battles you will not win against me. Yet," his breath was hot against her neck, "These you will enjoy losing quite much, I think."

"We'll see about that," Kaoru scoffed teasingly but she could get no more words out for Battousai gathered her in his arms and pressed his lips to her as _The Black Avenger _cut swiftly through the glorious sunset, carrying them off to the next adventure.


End file.
